Category: Huntington's Disease
Objective: To analyze cognitive and neuropsychiatric differences between asymptomatic and symptomatic carriers of Huntington’s disease (HD) compared with healthy controls (HC) taking into account the disease duration.
Background: HD is an autosomal dominant, hereditary, neurodegenerative disease that presents neurological, psychiatric, and cognitive impairment.
Method: We evaluated 80 HD carriers [35 asymptomatic, 19 symptomatic (<5years of evolution), 26 symptomatic (>5years of evolution)] and 71 HC. Motor function (UHDRS), general cognitive status (MoCA) and cognition (visual cognition, verbal fluency, processing speed, and mental flexibility) and neuropsychiatric symptoms (anxiety, irritability, apathy, suicide, quality of life, depression and daily life activities) were evaluated. One- way ANOVA and Tukey’s test for post hoc analysis were performed.
Results: Statistically significant differences were found in motor function (F(3,147)=93.8; p<.001), generalcognitivestatus(F(3,145)=27.7;p<.001)andvisualmemory (F(3,138)=20.9;p<.001) between groups. No statistical differences were found between HC and asymptomatic group in processing speed, visuospatial abilities, and verbal fluency. However, symptomatic HD patients (>5 years evolution) presented greater impairment in processing speed, visuospatial abilities, verbal fluency, mental flexibility, depression, apathy, quality of life, and daily life activities compared to HD patients (<5 years evolution) and asymptomatic.
Conclusion: Findings suggest that both symptomatic and asymptomatic HD patients presented worse motor, cognitive and neuropsychiatric symptoms according to disease progression. The symptomatic group >5 years of evolution presented greater cognitive deterioration and more depressive and apathy symptoms, worse quality of life and less capacity for daily life activities in comparison with other groups. Results pointed out that asymptomatic carrier presented worse cognitive performance than HC in visual memory.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
M. Turuelo. Differences in cognition and neuropsychiatric profiles between asymptomatic and symptomatic carriers of Huntington’s disease [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2022; 37 (suppl 2). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/differences-in-cognition-and-neuropsychiatric-profiles-between-asymptomatic-and-symptomatic-carriers-of-huntingtons-disease/. Accessed June 25, 2026.« Back to 2022 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/differences-in-cognition-and-neuropsychiatric-profiles-between-asymptomatic-and-symptomatic-carriers-of-huntingtons-disease/