Topography of cerebral atrophy in early Huntington’s disease: a voxel based morphometric MRI study

Objectives: To analyse grey matter changes in early stages of Huntington’s disease using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the technique of voxel based morphometry (VBM). Methods: Forty four patients with a molecularly confirmed clinical diagnosis of Huntington’s disease based on the presence of motor signs were included in the study. Patients were clinically rated using the Unified Huntington’s Disease Rating Scale; all were in early clinical stages of the disease (that is, Shoulson stages I and II). High resolution volume rendering MRI scans (MP-RAGE) were acquired. MRI data were volumetrically analysed in comparison to an age matched normal database by VBM, using statistical parametric mapping (SPM99). Results: In Huntington’s disease, robust regional decreases in grey matter density (p