Centre for Neuroscience - Theses

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Understanding brain structure and connectivity in Huntington’s disease using diffusion tensor imaging

Bohanna, India Kate ( 2010)

The overarching aim of this thesis was to use Diffusion Tensor Imaging to improve understanding of the neuropathological changes that occur in Huntington's disease within the white matter and in striatal components of the basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical network, prior to the onset of motor symptoms and also once a clinical diagnosis has been made. Additionally, the relationship between neurobiological abnormalities and disease progression was also investigated. Degeneration was observed in a distributed network of white matter regions in both clinically diagnosed and pre-manifest HD, with corpus callosum degeneration related to worsening cognitive and motor symptoms. Within the basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical network, preferential degeneration of sensorimotor striatal pathways was observed. Degeneration within this pathway correlated strongly with worsening motor symptoms. The findings of this thesis provide valuable new insights into the nature, extent and progression of structural brain changes within the white matter and basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical networks in both clinical and pre-manifest HD. The methods used here provide a new method for investigating circuit-specific changes in HD. These findings may assist in developing a comprehensive profile of early neural changes, and identifying potential markers of disease progression.