Multimodal Imaging and Visual Evoked Potentials Reveal Key Structural and Functional Features That Distinguish...

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Neurodegenerative Diseases
• Indian Population Studies

Background:

• Huntington's disease (HD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder.
• Lack of matched structural and functional brain analyses in Indian HD cohorts.
• Need for sensitive, noninvasive imaging biomarkers for HD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate structural and functional brain differences in Indian HD patients versus controls.
• To compare presymptomatic HD (P-HD) and symptomatic HD (S-HD) brain characteristics.

Main Methods:

• Examined 17 HD patients (6 P-HD, 11 S-HD) and 12 controls from India.
• Utilized macrostructural, microstructural, and functional brain imaging.
• Assessed neurochemical levels, glucose metabolism, and visual latencies.

Main Results:

• HD brains exhibited increased intercaudate distance, subcortical volume loss, and altered diffusivity.
• Lower N-acetyl aspartate and higher choline levels were observed in HD brains.
• S-HD showed greater volumetric loss and diffusivity in caudate/putamen compared to P-HD.

Conclusions:

• Distinct macrostructural, microstructural, and functional brain differences exist in Indian HD patients.
• Symptomatic HD patients display significant volumetric loss, increased diffusivity, and altered neurochemistry versus P-HD.
• Clinical monitoring of these brain alterations may help track HD progression.