Working memory capacity in Huntington's Disease (1).
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Biological and psychosocial factors in working memory functioning in Huntington's Disease.
IRAS ID
153963
Contact name
Hugh Rickards
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust.
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
14/EM/1177, NRES Committee East Midlands-Derby
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 16 days
Research summary
Huntington’s Disease (HD) is a genetic condition, characterized by motor abnormalities, progressive cognitive decline, and psychiatric symptoms. With regard to cognitive impairment, previous research has demonstrated that working memory-a type of short-term memory- is significantly affected in HD patients. The proposed study aims to examine the relationship between the HD Burden of Pathology (BOP) Score, which is a clinical index of HD severity, and working memory capacity in a convenience sample of eighty-five (85) HD gene carriers, who will be assessed cross-sectionally over a period of six months. It is hypothesized that BOP should have a significant and inverse relationship with working memory, and this relationship should be independent of levels of anxiety, depression and individual differences in rumination-a thinking style, which is characterized by brooding over the medical aspects of HD. The results will be statistically analysed by carrying out a series of correlational analyses.
REC name
East Midlands - Derby Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/EM/1177
Date of REC Opinion
2 Oct 2014
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion