Abstract
Background:
Neuropsychiatric disturbances are common in Huntington’s Disease (HD) and have been observed in gene-positive individuals several years prior to the onset of motor symptoms. The neural mechanism underpinning the development of neuropsychiatric problems in HD remain unclear.
Objective:
To investigate whether neural activity during working memory is associated with neuropsychiatric symptoms in premanifest Huntington’s Disease.
Methods:
functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from Pre-HD far from onset (pre-HD far , n = 18), pre-HD close to onset (pre-HD close , n = 17), and controls (n = 32) were analysed. Correlations were performed between fMRI activity in three regions of interest [bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC)] and neuropsychiatric scores.
Results:
In the pre-HD close group, increased symptoms of obsessive compulsion and depression were associated with decreased blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) fMRI activity in the right DLPFC and ACC during 1-BACK and 2-BACK working memory conditions. In the pre-HD far group increased symptoms of depression was associated with decreased right DLPFC BOLD fMRI activity during 2-BACK working memory only.
Conclusions:
The findings suggest that association between neuropsychiatric function and fMRI activity is more readily detectable at higher working memory loads, and becomes more pronounced in those closer to onset.
Keywords
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