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Whole‐brain atrophy as a measure of progression in premanifest and early Huntington's disease |
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| Authors: | Susie M.D. Henley PhD Edward J. Wild MRCP Nicola Z. Hobbs MEng Chris Frost DipStat David G. MacManus MSc Roger A. Barker PhD Nick C. Fox PhD Sarah J. Tabrizi PhD |
| Affiliation: | 1. Dementia Research Centre, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom;2. Susie M.D. Henley and Edward J. Wild are equal first authors.;3. Medical Statistics Unit, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom;4. NMR Research Unit, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom;5. Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Brain Repair Centre, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, United Kingdom;6. Department of Clinical Neurology, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, United Kingdom;7. Nick C. Fox and Sarah J. Tabrizi are equal senior authors.;8. Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Institute of Neurology, University College London, United Kingdom |
| Abstract: | Therapeutic trials in Huntington's disease (HD) are challenging as clinical progression is slow and variable and reliable biomarkers are lacking. We used magnetic resonance imaging and the brain boundary shift integral to quantify whole‐brain atrophy rates over 1 year in early and premanifest HD subjects, and controls. Early HD subjects had statistically significantly (P = 0.007) increased (threefold higher) rates of whole‐brain atrophy compared with controls. Higher atrophy rates were associated with longer CAG repeat length. MRI‐based measures of whole‐brain atrophy may have potential as a measure of progression in HD. © 2009 Movement Disorder Society |
| Keywords: | Huntington's disease MRI CAG repeat length longitudinal |