In September 2001, the Huntington Study Group, under the direction of Jane Paulsen, Principal Investigator (University of Iowa), received funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study healthy persons who are known to have the CAG expansion in the HD gene.
This study, known as PREDICT-HD, will use a variety of tests to examine the nature and pattern of neurobiological changes and neurobehavioral changes that occur in the period leading up to a diagnosis of HD. The intent of the study is to learn more about the beginning changes in thinking skills, emotional regulation, brain structure and brain function as a person begins the transition from health to HD.