A double blind evaluation of cognitive decline in a Norwegian cohort of asymptomatic carriers of Huntington's disease

J Clin Exp Neuropsychol. 2010 Jul;32(6):590-8. doi: 10.1080/13803390903337878. Epub 2009 Nov 12.

Abstract

Previous studies investigating subclinical signs of cognitive decline in presymptomatic carriers of Huntington's disease (HD) have shown conflicting results. The current study examines cognition in 105 at-risk individuals, using a broad neuropsychological test battery and adopting strict inclusion criteria for attaining a homogeneous sample. Results obtained by analyses of variance and effect size calculations indicate no clinical evidence of significant cognitive decline in asymptomatic HD carriers very far from onset of illness compared to noncarriers. Closeness to disease onset amongst gene carriers influenced cognition negatively whereas cytosine-adenine-guanine (CAG) repeat size did not. The findings call for longitudinal follow-up studies using a combination of clinical instruments and experimental paradigms to pinpoint when subtle cognitive deficits occur and within which of the cognitive domains.

Publication types

  • Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Analysis of Variance
  • Cognition Disorders* / diagnosis
  • Cognition Disorders* / etiology
  • Cognition Disorders* / genetics
  • Cohort Studies
  • Double-Blind Method
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Huntington Disease / complications*
  • Huntington Disease / genetics*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Norway / epidemiology
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Trinucleotide Repeats / genetics*