Onset of Huntington's disease predicted by striatal brain volume

Huntington's disease cannot be prevented but identifying it at an early stage is key to delaying the onset of the disease.

Consequently, researchers are constantly striving for ways to reduce the age at which doctors can know for sure that a person will develop the condition and at what age symptoms will begin to occur.

Now researchers in the US believe they may have found a way to use neuroimaging to predict the onset of Huntington's disease.

Dr Elizabeth Aylward, author of the study, and her team of investigators used MRI scans to identify significantly smaller volumes of striatum and white matter in the brains of patients with the Huntington mutation one to four years before their official diagnosis.

"We believe that the results of this study will be important in designing future clinical trials for individuals who have the Huntington's disease gene mutation, but who are not yet showing symptoms," Dr Aylward stated.

Find out how Barchester works to create safe and understanding environments for those living with Huntington's Disease.