![]() One of the most used cognitive screening tests in research settings and clinical practice is the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). However, the analysis of the possible brain structures contributing to the cognitive impairment in HD has only been based on correlation analyses with the UHDRS cognitive component, namely, no other conventional cognitive assessment instrument has been associated with the structural brain atrophy in HD. Although it has been suggested that cognitive deficits are mainly linked to striatal degeneration ( Kassubek et al., 2004 Peinemann et al., 2005 Aylward et al., 2013), the extensive atrophy of the cortical mantle also contributes considerably to the progression of these alterations ( Johnson et al., 2015).Ĭognitive assessment in HD patients has been performed using several tests, including the Cognitive Functioning evaluation of the Unified Huntington’s Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS) ( Mestre et al., 2016). ![]() Even though HD is classically considered as a motor disorder, the cognitive decline may occur even before the clinical manifestations of the motor symptoms start ( Paulsen, 2011). HD clinical manifestations include motor, cognitive, and psychiatric deficits. The hallmark of the HD neuropathology is caudate neurodegeneration although several cortical regions are also affected ( Rosas et al., 2008 Tabrizi et al., 2009 Aylward, 2014). Huntington’s Disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant inherited neurodegenerative disease ( Huntington’s Disease Collaborative Research Group, 1993). These results provide new insights into the effectiveness of using the MoCA test to detect cognitive impairment and the brain atrophy pattern associated with the cognitive status of prodromal/early HD patients. ![]() Also, the MoCA total score correlated with cortical thinning of fronto-parietal and temporo-occipital cortices, as well as with bilateral caudate volume differences in HD patients. Group comparison analysis showed a significantly lower score in the MoCA global performance of HD patients. T1-weighted images were acquired to analyze cortical thickness and subcortical nuclei volumes. Twenty-two HD patients and twenty-two healthy subjects participated in this study. Therefore, to explore this relationship we analyzed if cortical thinning and subcortical nuclei volume differences correlated with HD patients’ MoCA performance. However, the relationship between MoCA performance and brain structural integrity in HD patients remains unclear. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is a brief screening test commonly employed to detect mild cognitive impairment, which has also been useful to assess cognitive decline in HD patients. Cognitive impairment develops gradually in HD patients, progressing later into a severe cognitive dysfunction. Huntington’s Disease (HD) is an autosomal neurodegenerative disease characterized by motor, cognitive, and psychiatric symptoms. ![]() Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) performance in Huntington’s disease patients correlates with cortical and caudate atrophy. Cite this article Ramirez-Garcia G, Galvez V, Diaz R, Campos-Romo A, Fernandez-Ruiz J. For attribution, the original author(s), title, publication source (PeerJ) and either DOI or URL of the article must be cited. ![]() Licence This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, reproduction and adaptation in any medium and for any purpose provided that it is properly attributed. 3 Facultad de Medicina, Unidad Periférica de Neurociencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México/Instituto Nacional de Neurologia y Neurocirugia, Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico DOI 10.7717/peerj.12917 Published Accepted Received Academic Editor Kevin Black Subject Areas Neuroscience, Neurology Keywords MoCA test, Huntington’s disease, Cortical thickness, Brain atrophy, Caudate volume Copyright © 2022 Ramirez-Garcia et al. ![]()
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