What MRI finding is typical for Huntington disease?

What MRI finding is typical for Huntington disease?

• A. Hippocampal sclerosis
• B. Temporal lobe edema
• C. Cerebellar degeneration
• D. Caudate nucleus atrophy with enlargement of the frontal horns

Answer: (D)

Huntington disease causes selective degeneration of the striatum, especially the caudate nucleus. As the caudate atrophies, the lateral ventricles’ frontal horns become enlarged due to ex vacuo dilation, producing the characteristic MRI finding of caudate atrophy with enlargement of the frontal horns. This pattern reflects loss of surrounding neural tissue and is linked to the disease’s motor and behavioral symptoms driven by striatal dysfunction. Other imaging patterns listed align with different conditions (hippocampal sclerosis with temporal lobe pathology, temporal lobe edema with inflammatory or vascular processes, cerebellar degeneration with ataxic disorders), not Huntington disease.

Huntington disease causes selective degeneration of the striatum, especially the caudate nucleus. As the caudate atrophies, the lateral ventricles’ frontal horns become enlarged due to ex vacuo dilation, producing the characteristic MRI finding of caudate atrophy with enlargement of the frontal horns. This pattern reflects loss of surrounding neural tissue and is linked to the disease’s motor and behavioral symptoms driven by striatal dysfunction. Other imaging patterns listed align with different conditions (hippocampal sclerosis with temporal lobe pathology, temporal lobe edema with inflammatory or vascular processes, cerebellar degeneration with ataxic disorders), not Huntington disease.