The Neuropsychiatric Manifestations of Huntington’s Disease-Like 2

Huntington’s disease-like 2 (HDL2) is a rare neuropsychiatric disorder that resembles HD but results from a distinct mutation. The authors present a patient with HDL2, hospitalized for psychiatric management, and they review the neuropsychiatric manifestations of this disorder. Depression, irritability/aggression, and frontal lobe personality changes are common presentations of HDL2 and are comparable to classic HD. Patients with HDL2 may differ from those with HD in having a lower incidence of obsessive-compulsive acts, known suicides, antisocial acts, and changes in sexuality. Clinicians should be aware of the psychiatric presentations of this disorder, when to obtain genetic testing, and how to manage problematic behaviors.