Hi - My husband with HD is in hospital now for severe depression. they ordered an MRI which he hasn't had yet. the doc said the MRI was "normal". Can anyone help me with understanding what would show on the MRI and depression being "from" the HD or "just depression". trying to understand the significance and also the relationship between MRI and HD symptoms.
thanks very much and hope everyone had a nice holiday and has a very happy new year!

My guess is that they are checking for a tumor or other physical anomoly.

Also, an MRI was used to assist with an HD diagnosis for my ex.

You know, I don't understand the connection between MRIs and clinical assessment in HD. Time after time I have heard of people who have already been diagnosed with HD, who are symptomatic, being told that their MRI is normal. At the same time, research show that 1/3 or more of the basal ganglia is already gone at the time of diagnosis. So I don't know why this disconnect exists.

As for symptoms, some are caused by dysfunction and some are caused by cell death. Dysfunction won't show up in an MRI.

Thanks very much

Marsha can you tell me what "caused by dysfunction" means? what does show up on an MRI?

What can they learn by having a "normal" mri?

thanks very much!!

My dad and then my sis; were both diagnosed symptomatic and came back with normal MRI results. I think it doesn't mean anything, because they both have severe symptoms. My guess would be that an abnormal MRI would only aid in the diagnosis, but a normal MRI doesn't mean jack (null hypothesis: makes no difference concerning the HD severity).

I also wonder if it depends on who's reading the MRI? This is sort of unrelated, but I had a friend whose MRI was reported as "fine" by one radiologist, but then another institution's radiologist read it differently and said there is a tumor that needs to come out. It turned out to be a cancerous tumor, so thank God her doctor sent it to another place for a 2nd opinion. So in my mind the person interpreting may have something to do with it because perhaps they may be missing subtle signs.

Wow, Eve, so lucky for your friend that they had a second doctor read it! Our life is really in God's hands!

Our neuro said no to an MRI. Said it would only serve as a baseline, to be used later to show progression, and not as a diagnostical tool.