Neuroimaging Techniques in Huntington's Disease: A Critical Review

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder.
• It presents with cognitive, neuropsychiatric, and motor symptoms due to a genetic mutation.
• Imaging is vital for understanding HD and tracking its progression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review conventional and novel imaging techniques for Huntington's disease.
• To make complex imaging methods accessible to clinicians.
• To highlight the role of advanced imaging in HD research and practice.

Main Methods:

• Summarizes findings from structural, diffusion, and functional MRI in HD.
• Reviews emerging techniques: multiparametric mapping, multi-shell diffusion MRI, 7-Tesla MRI, PET, and MEG.
• Focuses on techniques relevant to general neurologists and movement disorder specialists.

Main Results:

• Conventional imaging reveals striatal and cortical changes in HD.
• Novel techniques provide enhanced precision in quantifying and visualizing HD-specific alterations.
• Advanced imaging improves the understanding of neuropathological progression.

Conclusions:

• Novel imaging techniques show promise for understanding HD pathology.
• These methods can serve as imaging markers for clinical trials, staging, and monitoring.
• Combining imaging with genetic and clinical data offers a comprehensive view of HD.