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Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a genetic brain disease characterized by loss of capacity
in movement control, cognition, and emotional regulation over a period of about 30
years. Since it is well established that clinical impairments and brain atrophy can
be detected decades prior to receiving a clinical diagnosis, functional neuroimaging
efforts have gained momentum in HD research. In most brain disorders, there is accumulating
evidence that the clinical manifestations of disease do not simply depend on the extent
of tissue loss, but represent a complex balance among neuronal dysfunction, tissue
repair, and circuitry reorganization. Based upon this premise, functional neuroimaging
modalities may be more sensitive to the earliest changes in HD than are structural
imaging approaches. For this review, PET and fMRI studies conducted in HD samples
were summarized. Strengths and limitations of the utilization of functional imaging
in HD are discussed and recommendations are offered to facilitate future research
endeavors.