Cognitive deficits in Huntington's disease on the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status

Abstract

Huntington's disease (HD) is associated with a variety of cognitive deficits, as well as motor and psychiatric disturbances. As clinical trials for HD evolve, briefer screening instruments will be needed to determine cognitive effects of interventions. The Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) may fill this gap. A total of 75 participants diagnosed with HD were evaluated with the RBANS, as well as several other scales typically used in HD. RBANS performances for these participants fell significantly below expectations for the Total Scale score, all five Indexes, and 11 of the 12 individual subtests. Cognitive scores on the RBANS were also significantly related to other markers of HD, including motor abnormalities, functional abilities, and other cognitive scores. Although additional research is needed, the current study supports the clinical applicability of the RBANS in patients with HD.

Keywords:

• Huntington's disease
• Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status
• Cognitive assessment
• Subcortical dementia
• Movement disorders