Lamain, Per (2026) The Impact of CAG Repeat Length on Cognitive Decline in Huntington’s Disease. Master thesis, Psychology.
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Abstract
Huntington’s disease (HD) is genetic neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive motor, psychiatric and cognitive decline. The amount of CAG repeats on the Huntingtin (HTT) gene influences age of onset, but its relationship with domain-specific cognitive decline is not completely clear. This study examined whether CAG repeat length is associated with the rate of cognitive decline across several cognitive domains in individuals with HD. A total of 84 participants (Mage = 48.4) were tested for up to 10 years as a part of the Enroll-HD study. Each year cognitive functioning was assessed measuring executive functioning (inhibition and cognitive flexibility), processing speed, attention, language and global cognition. A linear mixed model was used to examine the interaction between CAG repeat length and cognitive decline in these domains, controlling for age. Results showed that longer CAG repeat lengths were significantly associated with a faster decline in executive functioning and partially with processing speed. Both tests measuring executive functioning showed significant results and two out of three tests measuring processing speed showed significant results. No significant results were found for attention, language and global functioning. Executive functioning and processing speed may be particularly affected by CAG repeat length, because of the involvement of striatal atrophy and frontal white matter changes that are commonly observed in individuals with HD. These findings suggest that the impact of CAG repeat length on cognitive decline in HD is domain-specific rather then global. This study contributes to the limited amount of research on this topic and provides a better understanding of cognitive progression in HD. In addition, these findings may help guide domain-specific cognitive treatment and rehabilitation strategies.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Gelmers, F. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | Clinical Neuropsychology (CN) [Master Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 02 Apr 2026 06:10 |
| Last Modified: | 02 Apr 2026 06:10 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/6352 |
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