Planning deficits in Huntington's disease: A brain structural correlation by voxel-based morphometry.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Neurology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Early Huntington's disease (HD) patients exhibit planning deficits preceding motor symptoms.
• Planning is typically linked to frontal lobe function, but early HD shows posterior atrophy.

Purpose of the Study:

• Identify brain regions associated with planning deficits in early-stage HD patients.
• Investigate the neuropathological basis of early cognitive impairments in HD.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 22 early HD patients and 20 healthy controls.
• Utilized MRI T1 imaging and the Stockings of Cambridge (SOC) task for planning assessment.
• Performed voxel-based morphometry to correlate gray matter density with SOC performance in HD patients.

Main Results:

• Planning accuracy and efficiency scores correlated with gray matter density in the right lingual gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, anterior cingulate gyrus, and paracingulate gyrus.
• Identified specific regions in the occipital and temporal lobes associated with planning deficits.

Conclusions:

• Early HD planning deficits involve degeneration in occipital and temporal cortical regions, alongside frontal areas.
• Suggests a more widespread neuropathological impact of early HD than previously assumed.