Duke researchers identify cause of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease: May 28.

Neurogeneticists at Duke University's Center for Human Genetics and their international colleagues have identified an abnormality in mitochondria, which produce energy for cells and fuels the nerves requited for muscle control, as the cause of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT).

There is no cure for CMT, one of the most common inherited disorders, affecting about 150,000 Americans. Symptoms include weakening of the feet and hands that gradually spreads to the arms and legs. The only treatments for the degenerative nerve disorder are physical therapy and moderate activity to maintain muscle strength. People with CMT often have to use leg braces, and some become wheelchair-dependent.

Researchers say the mitochondria finding could help in developing treatments for CMT and increase scientists' understanding of diseases affecting the peripheral nervous system, according to a Duke University press release.

The Duke study published in the journal Nature Genetics, included seven Families with a form of the disorder called CMT type 2A. Scientists found that the families had defects in a gene called mitofusin 2, which is critical in mitochondrial movement. Using gene therapy to restore lost gene function in people with CMT might serve as an effective treatment, the researchers suggest.

For more information, visit the Muscular Dystrophy Association Web site.