UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

Neuroimaging Techniques in Huntington's Disease: A Critical Review

Farag, M; Knights, H; Scahill, RI; McColgan, P; Estevez-Fraga, C; (2025) Neuroimaging Techniques in Huntington's Disease: A Critical Review. Movement Disorders Clinical Practice 10.1002/mdc3.70010. (In press).

[thumbnail of Farag_Neuroimaging Techniques in Huntington's Disease_AAM.pdf] Text
Farag_Neuroimaging Techniques in Huntington's Disease_AAM.pdf
Access restricted to UCL open access staff until 21 February 2026.

Download (1MB)

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Huntington's disease (HD) is a hereditary neurodegenerative disorder characterized by cognitive, neuropsychiatric and motor symptoms caused by a CAG trinucleotide repeat expansion in the huntingtin gene. Imaging techniques are crucial for understanding HD pathophysiology and monitoring disease progression. OBJECTIVES: This review is targeted at general neurologists and movement disorders specialists with an interest in HD and aims to bring complex imaging, including new experimental techniques, closer to the practicing clinician. METHODS: We provide a summary of findings from conventional structural, diffusion and functional imaging in HD studies, together with an update on emerging novel techniques, including multiparametric mapping, multi-shell diffusion techniques, ultra-high field 7-Tesla MRI, positron emission tomography and magnetoencephalography. RESULTS: Conventional imaging techniques have deepened our understanding of neuropathological progression in HD, from striatal atrophy to widespread cortical and white matter changes. The integration of novel imaging techniques reviewed has further improved our ability to interrogate, quantify and visualize disease-specific alterations with high precision. CONCLUSIONS: Novel imaging techniques have promising roles to further our understanding of HD pathology and as imaging markers for clinical trials, disease staging and therapeutic monitoring. Additionally, the synergistic potential of combining imaging modalities with molecular and genetic data, along with wet biomarkers and clinical data, will help provide a complete and comprehensive view of HD pathology and progression.

Type: Article
Title: Neuroimaging Techniques in Huntington's Disease: A Critical Review
Location: United States
DOI: 10.1002/mdc3.70010
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1002/mdc3.70010
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher's terms and conditions.
Keywords: Huntington's disease, 7 T MRI, MEG, PET, machine learning
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology > Neurodegenerative Diseases
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10205635
Downloads since deposit
3Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item