An event related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study of cognitive deficits in Huntington's disease

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Huntington's disease (HD) is a progressive disorder clinically characterized by the onset of involuntary jerky movements, impaired voluntary movements, cognitive-attentional deterioration, and psychiatric symptoms. It is a consequence of progressive and selective brain degeneration. Over the last decade our research unit has made significant progress in describing the cognitive deficits in HD; however, we still don't know much about the parts of the brain that underlie these deficits. The aim of this project is to use event related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to correlate structural and functional changes in the brain via the use of various cognitive behavioural measures. In this way we can elucidate what brain areas are responsible for various cognitive functions. In addition, we intend to ascertain how different brain areas decrement in function over time and to determine whether there is a relationship between rate of disease progression, age at onset and certain genetic characteristics. Understanding how the brain functions and how the disease progresses over time will be essential, from the point of view of patient management, when new drug treatments eventually permit prevention of the development, or slows further progress, of the disorder.