Neurophysiological correlates of non-motor symptoms in late premanifest and early-stage manifest huntington's disease

Marie-Claire Davis; Aron T Hill; Paul B Fitzgerald; Neil W Bailey; Julie C Stout; Kate E Hoy

doi:10.1016/j.clinph.2023.06.021

Neurophysiological correlates of non-motor symptoms in late premanifest and early-stage manifest huntington's disease

Clin Neurophysiol. 2023 Sep:153:166-176. doi: 10.1016/j.clinph.2023.06.021. Epub 2023 Jul 14.

Authors

Marie-Claire Davis¹, Aron T Hill², Paul B Fitzgerald³, Neil W Bailey⁴, Julie C Stout⁵, Kate E Hoy⁶

Affiliations

¹ Central Clinical School, Department of Psychiatry, Monash University, Victoria, Australia; Statewide Progressive Neurological Disease Service, Calvary Health Care Bethlehem, Victoria, Australia. Electronic address: marie-claire.davis@monash.edu.
² Central Clinical School, Department of Psychiatry, Monash University, Victoria, Australia; Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia. Electronic address: a.hill@deakin.edu.au.
³ Central Clinical School, Department of Psychiatry, Monash University, Victoria, Australia; School of Medicine and Psychology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia. Electronic address: paul.fitzgerald@anu.edu.au.
⁴ Central Clinical School, Department of Psychiatry, Monash University, Victoria, Australia; School of Medicine and Psychology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia; Monarch Research Institute Monarch Mental Health Group, 225 Clarence Street, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia. Electronic address: neil.bailey@monash.edu.
⁵ School of Psychological Sciences, Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, 18 Innovation Walk, Clayton Campus, Wellington Road, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia. Electronic address: julie.stout@monash.edu.
⁶ Central Clinical School, Department of Psychiatry, Monash University, Victoria, Australia; The Bionics Institute of Australia, 384-388 Albert St, East Melbourne, VIC 3002, Australia. Electronic address: kate.hoy@monash.edu.

PMID: 37506604
DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2023.06.021

Abstract

Objective: To find sensitive neurophysiological correlates of non-motor symptoms in Huntington's disease (HD), which are essential for the development and assessment of novel treatments.

Methods: We used resting state EEG to examine differences in oscillatory activity (analysing the isolated periodic as well as the complete EEG signal) and functional connectivity in 22 late premanifest and early stage people with HD and 20 neurotypical controls. We then assessed the correlations between these neurophysiological markers and clinical measures of apathy and processing speed.

Results: Significantly lower theta and greater delta resting state power was seen in the HD group, as well as significantly greater delta connectivity. There was a significant positive correlation between theta power and processing speed, however there were no associations between the neurophysiological and apathy measures.

Conclusions: We speculate that these changes in oscillatory power and connectivity reflect ongoing, frontally concentrated degenerative and compensatory processes associated with HD.

Significance: Our findings support the potential utility of quantitative EEG as a proximate marker of processing speed, but not apathy in HD.

Keywords: Apathy; Electroencephalography (EEG); Functional connectivity; Huntington’s disease (HD); Processing speed.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Humans
Huntington Disease* / diagnosis
Longitudinal Studies