Development of remote memory loss in patients with Huntington's disease.

Patients recently diagnosed with Huntington's Disease (RHD) were compared to three tests of remote memory to advanced Huntington's Disease patients and to control subjects. The RHD patients demonstrated a remote memory impairment that was particularly evident when no cues were given to aid recall. Thus, early in the disease process, HD patients not only are impaired in the acquisition of new materials but have difficulty recalling remote events. It was also significant that, like the advanced patients, the deficits of the RHD patients extended over many decades, with approximately equivalent losses for each decade interval. This suggests that one form of retrograde amnesia consists of an extensive ungrade loss of remote memories.