A 42-year-old woman is brought to the physician by her husband because of a 1-year history of abnormal behavior. During this time she has been irritable, and restless, and has had multiple episodes of hearing voices. Over the past month, she has also had difficulty swallowing. She has a 2-year history of depression. She was let go by her employer 6 months ago because she could no longer handle all her tasks and often forgot about assignments. The patient has smoked one pack of cigarettes daily over the past 20 years. Physical examination shows intermittent, fidgety, jerky movements of the hands. MRI of the brain is ordered. Which of the following neuroimaging findings is most likely to be seen in this patient?

Question

A 42-year-old woman is brought to the physician by her husband because of a 1-year history of abnormal behavior. During this time she has been irritable, and restless, and has had multiple episodes of hearing voices. Over the past month, she has also had difficulty swallowing. She has a 2-year history of depression. She was let go by her employer 6 months ago because she could no longer handle all her tasks and often forgot about assignments. The patient has smoked one pack of cigarettes daily over the past 20 years. Physical examination shows intermittent, fidgety, jerky movements of the hands.  MRI of the brain is ordered.  Which of the following neuroimaging findings is most likely to be seen in this patient?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: Huntington disease is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder that manifests with chorea (eg, involuntary, jerky, fidgety movements) and behavioral abnormalities (eg, aggressiveness, depression).  Characteristic neuroimaging findings include atrophy of the caudate nuclei which results in enlargement of the frontal horns of the lateral ventricles.

A 42-Year-Old Woman Is Brought to the Physician by Her