Using the Mind to Outsmart Biology in Huntington's Disease
The science of epigenetics offers new pathways of hope for Huntington's disease.
Posted August 28, 2025 | Reviewed by Devon Frye
Finding out you are gene-positive for Huntington’s disease (HD) may feel like being handed a death sentence. You are told that your genes have betrayed you and will lead to total neurological debilitation and an early death. Though there is variation in how and when it might happen, it will happen: It is only a matter of time.
Part of me understands that it’s probably wise to accept this and to start planning for my future decline. After all, there is no cure.
Another part of me hurls expletives at that route and wants to fight with everything I have against it. It’s not denial exactly, but an intense desire to do anything I possibly can to delay the onset and decrease the severity of the illness.
So as I await the motor symptoms that define the disease, I am trying to strike a balance between preparing for the inevitable while also maintaining hope that I might somehow alter, or even avoid altogether, this fate that is written into my DNA.
Of course, the ultimate hope is that a cure is found. In the meantime, I’ve tried to find other reasons to be optimistic . One of the best avenues toward hope I’ve found is in the science of epigenetics .
Epigenetics has to do with how the expression of our genetic material can change without any alterations to the DNA sequence itself. While our DNA lays the blueprint for our genetic code, our cells still need to read and interpret that code. A number of factors affect those processes, and genetic researchers have found that the coding contained in DNA can be turned “on” or “off” during different stages of gene expression.
This has special relevance to anyone with a genetic disorder, because it means that our DNA does not automatically determine how, when, or even if that disorder will manifest. Epigenetic mechanisms like DNA methylation and histone modification can determine whether or not particular traits coded in our DNA ultimately become observable. One of the most important areas of epigenetic research studies how environmental factors such as diet , stress level, exposure to toxins, and an active lifestyle interact with gene expression. In other words, the choices we make can contribute to disease manifestation and progression.
Epigenetics in Huntington's Disease
HD has long been considered to be an illness governed by genetics . Though this is still largely true, breakthroughs in epigenetic research show promise in terms of affecting when and how HD is expressed. Neurobiologists are studying the effectiveness of histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACis) and drugs that target DNA methylation patterns in modifying disease progression. Researchers have also found that an active lifestyle and a Mediterranean diet are correlated to both delayed onset and decreased severity of symptoms.
On the one hand, this is great news—because it means that even before a cure is found, there are things I may be able to do to impact the course of the disease. On the other hand, it’s frustrating: Firstly, because the epigenetic therapies are all still in the research stage (and therefore cannot help me, at least not yet), and secondly, because eating well and staying active are choices I ought to be making anyway.
There has to be more I can do.
Physician, Heal Thyself
As a practicing mental health professional, it’s been hard to ignore the proliferation of evidence surrounding the efficacy of mindfulness -based practices in overall health and well-being. While traditional talk therapy and pharmaceutical interventions have long been the standard in Western mental health care, many practitioners and clients alike are discovering the benefits of Eastern practices like meditation , yoga, and Tai Chi in alleviating symptoms and reducing stress. Meditation in particular already has a well-documented link to positive health outcomes .
As increasing numbers of people demonstrate improved wellness after engaging in these practices, so too has research increased to try to empirically determine the reason for their efficacy. A review of mindfulness-based therapies from the American Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Development revealed that these therapies could, in fact, have an impact at the epigenetic level:
“Many studies have demonstrated that meditation can improve health through several interrelated pathways, such as the HPA axis, which produces glucocorticoids, and the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which balances sympathetic and parasympathetic activity. These pathways are important upstream regulators of immune response, gene expression, and normal functioning of the central nervous system.”
Though a causal relationship between mindfulness-based practices and their apparent outcomes has yet to be established, this emerging field holds promise for those among us who desire to take a more active role in improving our own health.
What this means is that while I wait on Western medicine, I can add meditation to the list of lifestyle changes that may end up impacting the course of my HD. As researchers in labs attempt to more thoroughly understand the exact mechanisms underlying its benefits, I can employ these centuries-old traditions in my own life now , with well-placed confidence that they are affecting change at a cellular level.
A skeptic by nature, I’m always cautious in approaching the unproven or that which is not yet fully understood. But it’s clear that mindfulness-based traditions are earning their place in the therapeutic repertoire.
Advanced as it is, there is so much that science does not yet understand about the power of our minds to influence our realities. And if something as simple as directing my conscious awareness or my body in a particular way means that I might increase my chances of a milder expression of my illness, sign me up. It’s better than sitting around waiting nervously for my symptoms to start.
If my brain is going to degenerate anyway, I may as well use it while I can. Namaste.
Kumarage, I.U. (2024). The effects of mindfulness-based therapies on epigenetic modifications and gene expression: a review. American Journal of Multidisciplinary Research & Development, 6 (11), pages 41-54. https://www.ajmrd.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/E6114154.pdf
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Pamela Mallette is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor who has been in private practice since 2009.
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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.