Memory performance in Huntington's disease

In this study the influence of special memory tasks, the effect of cues and the influence of the severity of the disease on the performance of short-term memory of patients suffering from Huntington's disease was examined. Stimulus material consisted of 30 nouns for reproduction and 20 nouns to be subsumed to 5 categories. Depending on experimental condition, assistance was given or withheld. 16 healthy subjects and 48 patients suffering from Huntington's disease took part in the study. Between these groups there was a significant effect of the factor "memory task." Furthermore, it could be demonstrated that the performance level decreases and differences between individuals increase with increasing severity of the disease. There was no significant effect of the factor "cues."