title: [A neuropsychological study of Huntington's disease in families in Antioquia, Colombia].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Various neuropsychological studies have been conducted to determine the cognitive functioning of patients with Huntington s disease and their results have shown that the pattern of cognitive decline is thought to be typical of a frontal subcortical dementia.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine if significant differences exist between the cognitive performances of a group diagnosed with Huntington s disease and a group of healthy, at risk relatives on a series of neuropsychological tests, and to examine the extent to which the Huntington group s cognitive performance profile corresponds to frontal subcortical damage as reported in other studies.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample was comprised of a group of 18 subjects with a clinical diagnosis of initial stage Huntington s disease and a group of 15 healthy relatives at risk for Huntington s disease. A battery of tests (the CERAD) and additional neuropsychological tests were administered to all subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to the at risk group, the Huntington s disease group scored significantly lower on 85.41% of the tests.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The neuropsychological tests utilized in this study were useful to discriminate between diagnosed and at risk groups. The Huntington s disease group s global neuropsychological profile was similar to that of a frontal subcortical dementia in which the predominant features include executive functioning deficits, memory problems, visuo constructive alterations, attention deficits, verbal fluency problems and naming deficits.
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Neurociencias, Facultad de Medicina. Universidad de Antioquia. Medellin, Antioquia, Colombia. lasprilla50@hotmail.com
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Arango-Lasprilla
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Iglesias-Dorado
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moreno
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lopera
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003105:Colombia; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006816:Huntington Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012307:Risk Factors