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The aim of this study was to investigate the first changes in cognitive and motor functioning in Huntington's disease. Forty-six gene carriers, not clinically diagnosed for HD, were compared with 88 non-gene carriers. Gene carriers performed significantly worse on the Benton Visual Retention Test. This result was due to a minority of participants who had already developed cognitive impairment. Marginal differences appeared on the motor times of single reaction time measures after correction for motor signs. The findings are discussed in the context of inconsistencies in previous studies and underscore the need for longitudinal research.

Memory deficits are considered the most prominent characteristics of mental deterioration in the early stages of Huntington's disease (HD) but empirical studies report contradictory results. The aim of this study was to assess memory and learning in 9 individuals with an increased risk (≥ 96%) of HD but without clinical symptoms and signs. Seventeen individuals with a decreased risk (≤ 5 %) formed a group of controls. Verbal and visual memory, various aspects of learning, word fluency and procedural learning were assessed. Conventional group comparisons showed no significant differences in the performances of the high risk and the low risk groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]