Description
Prospective memory (ProM), "remembering to reMember;" is a form of memory for future events believed to be necessary for everyday functioning. The frontal lobes, specifically the prefrontal cortex, have been identified as essential to ProM. Huntington's disease (HD), a neurodegenerative disorder, is associated with frontal lobe dysfunction. Individuals with HD demonstrate impairment on cognitive tasks shown to be dependent on frontal lobe functioning. However, no study to date has examined the effect of HD on ProM. The current study investigated ProM abilities in HD using the Memory for Intentions Screening Test (MIST), a standardized test of ProM. The study also investigated the relationship between ProM and everyday functioning. Participants included 19 patients diagnosed with mild-moderate HD and 20 matched controls. Participants were administered performance-based and self-report measures of ProM and everyday functioning tasks, in addition to a battery of standardized neuropsychological tests. The data indicate that HD patients were impaired relative to control participants on a performance-based test of ProM. In addition, HD patients demonstrated significant impairment on a naturalistic test of ProM, which provides an indication that HD patients' deficits on ProM may affect their ability to perform everyday tasks. HD patients also demonstrated deficits on a performance-based iADL measure compared to control participants. These findings provide the first data to indicate that HD is associated with impairment on a performance-based test of ProM, and provide support for literature on iADL impairment associated with HD. The present findings have important implications for understanding functional independence in this patient population.
