Symptoms:

Behavior changes may occur before movement problems, and can include:

• Behavioral disturbances
• Hallucinations
• Irritability
• Moodiness
• Restlessness or fidgeting
• Paranoia
• Psychosis

Abnormal and unusual movements include:

• Facial movements, including grimaces
• Head turning to shift eye position
• Quick, sudden, sometimes wild jerking movements of the arms, legs, face, and other body parts
• Slow, uncontrolled movements
• Unsteady gait

Dementia that slowly gets worse, including:

• Disorientation or confusion
• Loss of judgment
• Loss of memory
• Personality changes
• Speech changes

Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease:

• Anxiety, stress, and tension
• Difficulty swallowing
• Speech impairment

Symptoms in children:

• Rigidity
• Slow movements
• Tremor

Signs and tests:

The doctor will perform a physical exam and may ask questions about the patient's family history and symptoms. A neurological exam will also be done. The doctor may see signs of:

• Dementia
• Abnormal movements
• Abnormal reflexes
• "Prancing" and wide walk
• Hesitant speech or poor enunciation

A head CT scan may show loss of brain tissue, especially deep in the brain.

Other tests that may show signs of Huntington's disease include:

• Head MRI scan
• PET (isotope) scan of the brain

Genetic tests are available to determine whether a person carries the gene for Huntington's disease.