Institut Català de la Salut
[Martinez-Horta S, Puig-Davi A, Pérez-Pérez J] Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain. Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB-Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain. Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red-Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Spain. Departament de Medicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain. European Huntington’s Disease Network (EHDN), Spain. [Quevedo-García A] Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB-Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain. [Sampedro F] Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain. Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB-Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain. Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red-Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Spain. Departament de Medicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain. Secció de Neuroradiologia, Servei de Radiodiagnòstic, Vall d’Hebron Hospital Universitari, Barcelona, Spain. Institut de Diagnòstic per la Imatge, Barcelona, Spain. [Oltra-Cucarella J] Departamento de Psicología de la Salud, Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche, Elche, Spain
Vall d'Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus
2026-03-11T13:12:48Z
2026-03-11T13:12:48Z
2025
Episodic memory; Hippocampus; Huntington’s disease
Memoria episódica; Hipocampo; Enfermedad de Huntington
Memòria episòdica; Hipocamp; Malaltia de Huntington
Background Huntington’s disease (HD) is primarily associated with executive dysfunction, but episodic memory impairment is also present. Traditionally, these memory deficits have been attributed to retrieval difficulties linked to fronto-striatal dysfunction, rather than to disruptions in encoding or consolidation processes. However, the specific nature and diversity of memory impairments in HD remain underexplored. Objective To characterize the profile of episodic memory impairment in HD, identify distinct cognitive phenotypes, and examine their clinical, neuroanatomical, and biomarker correlates. Methods We assessed episodic memory in HD patients and healthy controls using the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test (FCSRT), complemented by Item-Specific Deficit Approach (ISDA) indices to quantify encoding, consolidation, and retrieval deficits. Structural MRI was used to identify gray matter volume correlates, and plasma neurofilament light chain (NfL) was measured as a marker of neuroaxonal injury. Results Compared to controls, HD patients showed marked impairments in free recall with preserved cued recall, suggesting predominant retrieval deficits. However, nearly one-third of patients exhibited global impairments across all FCSRT components, mainly driven by consolidation deficits consistent with medial temporal lobe dysfunction. This subgroup also showed worse cognitive and functional performance and significant atrophy in the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, and parahippocampal gyrus. Conclusion Episodic memory dysfunction in HD is heterogeneous and includes both retrieval-related and consolidation-driven profiles. These profiles reflect distinct neurodegenerative patterns, emphasizing the importance of cognitive subtyping for improving clinical characterization and biomarker development in HD.
The present study was funded from Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias (FIS) from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Grant number: PI21/01758) and Fondos FEDER.
Article
Published version
English
Trastorns de la memòria; Corea de Huntington (Malaltia) - Imatgeria per ressonància magnètica; DISEASES::Nervous System Diseases::Neurologic Manifestations::Neurobehavioral Manifestations::Memory Disorders; ANALYTICAL, DIAGNOSTIC AND THERAPEUTIC TECHNIQUES, AND EQUIPMENT::Diagnosis::Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures::Diagnostic Imaging::Tomography::Magnetic Resonance Imaging; DISEASES::Nervous System Diseases::Central Nervous System Diseases::Brain Diseases::Basal Ganglia Diseases::Huntington Disease; PSYCHIATRY AND PSYCHOLOGY::Psychological Phenomena::Mental Processes::Learning::Memory::Memory, Episodic; ENFERMEDADES::enfermedades del sistema nervioso::manifestaciones neurológicas::manifestaciones neuroconductuales::trastornos de la memoria; TÉCNICAS Y EQUIPOS ANALÍTICOS, DIAGNÓSTICOS Y TERAPÉUTICOS::diagnóstico::técnicas y procedimientos diagnósticos::diagnóstico por imagen::tomografía::imagen por resonancia magnética; ENFERMEDADES::enfermedades del sistema nervioso::enfermedades del sistema nervioso central::enfermedades cerebrales::enfermedades de los ganglios basales::enfermedad de Huntington; PSIQUIATRÍA Y PSICOLOGÍA::fenómenos psicológicos::procesos mentales::aprendizaje::memoria::memoria episódica
Elsevier
NeuroImage: Clinical;48
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nicl.2025.103894
Attribution 4.0 International
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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