Scientists have created monkeys genetically modified to have Huntington's disease in an effort to gain a deeper understanding of the fatal ailment and uncover clues to possible new treatments

Huntington's -- incurable and hereditary -- is caused by a single abnormal gene in which certain nerve cells in the brain waste away. People are born with the gene but symptoms typically do not appear until middle age

Those with the progressive, degenerative disease experience uncontrolled movements, emotional disturbances and mental deterioration

People typically die within 10 to 15 years after symptoms arise

The scientists at Emory University's Yerkes National Primate Research Center in Atlanta said the monkeys are the first primates genetically modified to have a human disease

Of the five baby monkeys born using this process, two died within about a day, another one died in about a month and two are still living at age 10 months