Memory Function and Huntington's Disease: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Genetics

Background:

• Huntington's disease (HD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting memory.
• Understanding specific memory deficits is crucial for patient care and intervention development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and characterize preserved and impaired memory processes in Huntington's disease.
• To examine how memory deficits vary by disease stage (pre-manifest vs. manifest) and memory subsystem.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search of PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar.
• Inclusion of 136 peer-reviewed studies on genetically or clinically confirmed HD patients (≥18 years).
• Risk of bias assessment using ROBINS-I and narrative synthesis across memory subsystems and disease stages.

Main Results:

• Consistent verbal episodic memory impairments (especially free recall) from early HD stages; recognition initially preserved.
• Progressive visual episodic memory deficits and early olfactory memory impairment.
• Autobiographical memory disruption noted, potentially independent of executive dysfunction; semantic memory access reduced.

Conclusions:

• Memory profiles in Huntington's disease are heterogeneous and subsystem-specific.
• Autobiographical memory may serve as a distinct cognitive marker in HD.
• Further characterization of memory deficits is vital for developing targeted cognitive interventions.