title: When does Huntington's disease begin?
abstract: Recent studies have detected basal ganglia atrophy in clinically asymptomatic persons with the genetic mutation that causes Huntington's disease (HD). Whether reductions in caudate and putamen volume on MRI scans are associated with changes in cognitive and neurologic functioning was examined in 13 healthy adults with the IT-15 mutation. Reduced striatal volume was found to correlate with greater neurologic (largely motor) impairment, slower mental processing speed, and poorer verbal learning, although none of the participants met even liberal criteria for clinical diagnosis of HD. These correlations are strikingly similar to those observed in symptomatic HD patients, possibly reflecting the earliest manifestations of disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287-7218, USA.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Campodonico
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Aylward
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Codori
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Krafft
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Magdalinski
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ranen
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Slavney
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brandt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001284:Atrophy / Q000473:pathology; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006816:Huntington Disease / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D017072:Neostriatum / Q000473:pathology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology