Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-tj2md Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-19T05:54:26.368Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Huntington's disease: a review of the literature on prevalence and treatment of neuropsychiatric phenomena

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

P. Naarding ,
H.P.H. Kremer  and
F.G. Zitman
P. Naarding*
Affiliation:
University Medical Centre Nijmegen, Department of Psychiatry, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
H.P.H. Kremer
Affiliation:
University Medical Centre Nijmegen, Department of Neurology, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
F.G. Zitman
Affiliation:
Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
*
*Correspondence and reprints. E-mail address:P.Naarding@czzopsy.azn.nl (P. Naarding).
Get access

Summary

A review was made of the literature on Huntington’s disease, including the clinical neurology, recent advances in pathophysiology and genetic mechanisms and psychopathology. It can be concluded that research on the latter is scarce, although the subject is relevant because of the co-occurrence of psychiatric, neurological and genetic phenomena, which may lead to novel concepts in the understanding of brain function. So far, attempts to provide a comprehensive and pragmatic description of the psychopathology of Huntington’s disease have been disappointing, probably due to the limitations of the DSM classification system in this disorder. Future research should focus not only on this classification system, but also on neuropsychological functioning, because of the degenerative nature of the disease. Systematic and controlled studies should be performed on the treatment of psychiatric abnormalities in Huntington’s disease before any conclusions can be drawn.

Keywords

Huntington’s diseasepsychopathologypsychopharmacologytreatment
Type
Review
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 16 , Issue 8 , December 2001 , pp. 439 - 445
Copyright
Copyright © 2001 Éditions scientifiques et médicales Elsevier SAS

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Benson, DF.Progressive frontal dysfunction. Dementia 1993; 4: 149–53.Google ScholarPubMed
Bhandary, ANMasand, PS.Buspirone in the management of disruptive behaviors due to Huntington's disease and other neurological disorders. Psychosomatics 1997; 38: 389–91.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Burns, AFolstein, SBrandt, JFolstein, M.Clinical assessment of irritability, aggression, and apathy in Huntington and Alzheimer disease. J Nerv Ment Dis 1990; 178: 20–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Byrne, AMartin, WHnatko, G.Beneficial effects of buspirone therapy in Huntington's disease. Am J Psychiatry 1994; 151: 1097.Google ScholarPubMed
Caine, EDHunt, RDWeingartner, HEbert, MH.Huntington's dementia. Clinical and neuropsychological features. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1978; 35: 377–84.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Caine, EDShoulson, I.Psychiatric syndromes in Huntington's disease. Am J Psychiatry 1983; 140: 728–33.Google ScholarPubMed
Como, PGRubin, AJO'Brien, CFLawler, KHickey, CRubin, AE. et al. A controlled trial of fluoxetine in nondepressed patients with Huntington's disease. Mov Disord 1997; 12: 397–401.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cummings, JLMega, MGray, KRosenberg-Thompson, SCarusi, DAGornbein, JThe, N.europsychiatric Inventory: comprehensive assessment of psychopathology in dementia. Neurology 1994; 44: 2308–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cummings, JL.Frontal-subcortical circuits and human behaviour. Arch Neurol 1993; 50: 873–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Di Maio, LSquitieri, FNapolitano, GCampanella, GTrofatter, JAConneally, PM.Onset symptoms in 510 patients with Huntington's disease. J Med Genet 1993; 30: 289–92.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Findling, RL.Treatment of aggression in juvenile-onset Huntington's disease with buspirone [letter]. Psychosomatics 1993; 34: 460–1.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Folstein, SAbbott, MHChase, GAJensen, BAFolstein, MF.The association of affective disorder with Huntington's disease in a case series and in families. Psychol M 1983; 13: 537–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ford, MF.Treatment of depression in Huntington's disease with monoamine oxidase inhibitors. Br J Psychiatry 1986; 149: 654–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Giel, RNienhuis, FJ.SCAN version 2.1, Dutch version in co-operation with the WHO, Geneva, Switzerland. Lisse: Swets & Zeitlinger; 1999.Google Scholar
Group, THd, CR.A novel gene containing a trinucleotide repeat that is expanded and unstable on Huntington's disease chromosomes. Cell 1993; 72: 971–83.Google Scholar
Huntington, G.On chorea. Med Surg Rep 1872; 26: 317–21.Google Scholar
Lewis, CFDeQuardo, JRTandon, R.ECT in genetically confirmed Huntington's disease. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci 1996; 8: 209–10.Google ScholarPubMed
Madhusoodanan, SBrenner, R.Use of risperidone in psychosis associated with Huntington's disease [letter]. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry 1998; 6: 347–9.Google Scholar
Mendez, MF.Huntington's disease: update and review of neuropsychiatric aspects. Int J Psychiatry M 1994; 24: 189–208.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Patel, SVTariot, PNAsnis, J.L-Deprenyl augmentation of fluoxetine in a patient with Huntington's disease. Ann Clin Psychiatry 1996; 8: 23–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pflanz, SBesson, JWSEbmeier, KPSimpson, S.The clinical manifestations of mental disorder in Huntington's disease: a retrospective case record study of disease progression. Acta Psychiatr Scand 1991; 83: 53–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ranen, NGLipsey, JRTreisman, GRoss, CA.Sertraline in the treatment of severe aggressiveness in Huntington's disease. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci 1996; 8: 338–40.Google ScholarPubMed
Ranen, NGPeyser, CEFolstein, SE.ECT as a treatment for depression in Huntington's disease. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci 1994; 6: 154–9.Google ScholarPubMed
Sajatovic, MVerbanac, PRamirez, LFMeltzer, HY.Clozapine treatment of psychiatric symptoms resistant to neuroleptic treatment in patients with Huntington's chorea. Neurology 1991; 41: 156.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schoenfeld, MMyers, RHCupples, LA.Increased rate of suicide among patients with Huntington’s disease. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1984; 47: 1283–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shiwach, R.Psychopathology in Huntington's disease patients. Acta Psychiatr Scand 1994; 90: 241–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shoulson, I.Huntington's disease: cognitive and psychiatric features. Neuropsychiatry Neuropsychol Behav Neurol 1990; 3: 15–22.Google Scholar
Shoulson, I.Huntington's disease: functional capacities in patients treated with neuroleptic and antidepressant drugs. Neurology 1981; 31: 1333–5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stewart, JTMounts, MLClark, RL.Aggressive behavior in Huntington's disease: treatment with propranolol. J Clin Psychiatry 1987; 48: 106–8.Google ScholarPubMed
Stewart, JT.Huntington's disease and propranolol [letter]. Am J Psychiatry 1993; 150: 166–7.Google Scholar
Weigell-Weber, MSchmid, WSpiegel, R.Psychiatric symptoms and CAG expansion in Huntington's disease. Am J Med Genet 1996; 67: 53–7.3.0.CO;2-T>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Whittier, JHaydu, GCrawford, MA.Effect of imipramine on depression and hyperkinesia in Huntington's disease. Am J Psychiatry 1962; 118: 79–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.