Abstract
Background
Visuospatial skills including spatial navigation are known to be impaired in Huntington's
disease. Spatial navigation comprises two navigational frameworks, allocentric and
egocentric. Several studies have associated the allocentric navigation with the hippocampus
and the egocentric navigation with the striatum. The striatum is predominantly impaired
from the early stages of Huntington's disease.
Objective
To find whether spatial navigation impairment is present in the early stages of Huntington's
disease and to test the hypothesis that the egocentric navigation is predominantly
affected compared to the allocentric navigation.
Methods
In nineteen patients with Huntington's disease the egocentric and the allocentric
navigation skills were tested using the Blue Velvet Arena, a human analog of Morris
Water Maze, and compared to nineteen age and gender-matched healthy controls. Cognitive
functions, with emphasis on the executive functions, were also assessed.
Results
The spatial navigation skills deteriorated with the increasing motor impairment in
Huntington's disease. These changes only became apparent in patients with moderate
functional impairment. No difference between the egocentric and the allocentric skills
was seen.
Discussion
Spatial navigation deficit is not an early marker of the cognitive dysfunction in
Huntington's disease. We speculate that the striatal circuitry that is known to degenerate
early in the course of Huntington's disease is not directly associated with the spatial
navigation.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: August 30, 2011
Accepted:
August 8,
2011
Received in revised form:
August 5,
2011
Received:
June 30,
2011
Identification
Copyright
© 2011 Elsevier B.V. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
