White matter volume and cognitive dysfunction in early Huntington's disease.
BACKGROUND
Structural abnormalities of the striatum and cognitive impairments have consistently been shown in patients with Huntington's disease (HD). Fewer studies have examined other cerebral structures in early HD and potential associations with cognition.


METHODS
Ten patients with early HD and 10 matched control subjects underwent magnetic resonance imaging to provide quantitative measures (volumes) of cortical gray and white matter and the caudate, putamen, and thalamus. Patients completed the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale, including three cognitive tasks.


RESULTS
Although striatal volumes were clearly reduced, white matter was also morphologically abnormal. Cortical gray matter volume was not significantly correlated with cognitive performance. However, the cognitive tasks were most highly correlated with cerebral white matter and, to a lesser degree, striatal volume.


CONCLUSIONS
Cerebral white matter volume may be an important variable to examine in future studies of HD.
Beglinger
Leigh J
LJ
Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Roy and Lucille Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA. leigh-beglinger@uiowa.edu
Nopoulos
Peg C
PC
Jorge
Ricardo E
RE
Langbehn
Douglas R
DR
Mikos
Ania E
AE
Moser
David J
DJ
Duff
Kevin
K
Robinson
Robert G
RG
Paulsen
Jane S
JS
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002421:Caudate Nucleus; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006816:Huntington Disease / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011699:Putamen / Q000473:pathology*; D013788:Thalamus / Q000473:pathology*