ABSTRACT
A key neuropsychiatric symptom of Huntington's disease, irritability, contributes to a decline in functioning and to great distress in both patients and their caregivers. To identify mutation carriers prone to the development of irritability, this study aimed to investigate the course and temporal relationships between irritability and other neuropsychiatric symptoms. A cohort of 90 mutation carriers was followed for 2 years. Using the Irritability Scale, the incidence of irritability was 23%, whereas irritability persisted in 70% of the mutation carriers with irritability at baseline. An increase in irritability was strongly associated with an increase in apathy.
Subject(s)
Huntington Disease/complications , Huntington Disease/genetics , Irritable Mood/physiology , Mutation/genetics , Adult , Apathy , Cohort Studies , Female , Humans , Linear Models , Male , Middle Aged , Psychiatric Status Rating ScalesABSTRACT
This study examined the incidence and course of apathy in subjects with Huntington's disease (HD). Our results showed that at follow-up 14% of the subjects free of apathy at baseline had developed apathy. In these subjects, a lower baseline Mini-Mental State Exam score predicted incidence of apathy. Of the 34 subjects with apathy at baseline, 14 subjects were no longer apathetic at follow-up. Twenty subjects had persistent apathy, with a low baseline Symbol Digits Modalities Test as the only predictor. These results showed that apathy in HD is most closely linked to global and executive cognitive performance.
