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. 2012 Jun;259(6):1191-8.
doi: 10.1007/s00415-011-6334-0. Epub 2011 Dec 6.

Deficient sustained attention to response task and P300 characteristics in early Huntington's disease

E P Hart  1 , E M Dumas, R H A M Reijntjes, K van der Hiele, S J A van den Bogaard, H A M Middelkoop, R A C Roos, J G van Dijk
Affiliations

Deficient sustained attention to response task and P300 characteristics in early Huntington's disease

E P Hart et al. J Neurol. 2012 Jun.

Abstract

Evidence for the extent and nature of attentional impairment in premanifest and manifest Huntington's disease (HD) is inconsistent. Understanding such impairments may help to better understand early functional changes in HD and could have consequences concerning care for HD patients. We investigated attentional control in both early and premanifest HD. We studied 17 early HD subjects (mean age: 51 years), 12 premanifest HD subjects (mean age: 43 years), and 15 healthy controls (mean age: 51 years), using the sustained attention to response task (SART), a simple Go/No-go test reflecting attentional and inhibitory processes through reaction time (RT) and error rates. Simultaneously recorded EEG yielded P300 amplitudes and latencies. The early HD group made more Go errors (p < 0.001) and reacted slower (p < 0.005) than the other groups. The RT pattern during the SART was remarkably different for early HD subjects compared to the other two groups (p < 0.005), apparent as significant post-error slowing. P300 data showed that for early HD the No-go amplitude was lower than for the other two groups (p < 0.05). Subjects with early HD showed a reduced capacity to effectively control attention. They proved unable to resume the task directly after having made an error, and need more time to return to pre-error performance levels. No attentional control deficits were found for the premanifest HD group.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
a Go P300 waves per group (averaged). Note P300 waves for the three groups during SART Go trials, averaged over the midline electrodes. Time point 0 denotes the point of stimulus presentation. b No-go P300 waves per group (averaged). Note P300 waves for the three groups during SART No-go trials, averaged over the midline electrodes. Time point 0 denotes the point of stimulus presentation
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
RT patterns for trials before and after correct and incorrect No-go trial. Note The reaction time for the four trials preceding and the four trials following No-go trails. Data are separated for RT patterns surrounding correct responses (i.e. not pressing at No-go stimulus) and incorrect responses (i.e. pressing at No-go stimulus), averaged per group
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