The present application discloses compositions and methods useful for diagnosing and treating nucleotide repeat disorders. An in silico analysis indicates a striking and specific miR-NRD homology. Validated miR target prediction software was used to assess each NRD nucleotide repeat expansion for potential miR homology. The striking degree of matched homology and the one-to-one expansion-to-miR ratio strongly support their relevance to the corresponding NRD and serve as a basis for therapeutic treatments. It is also disclosed herein that NETO is involved in mediating C9-repeat glutamate excitotoxicity, thus representing a novel therapeutic target.
