The existing understanding of the disease only indicates that symptoms tend to materialize between the ages of 30 and 50, not which symptoms and how they’ll evolve.

The researchers are “optimistic” that a single MRI scan could produce more accurate estimates of functional decline across multiple categories. It wouldn’t result in better treatment by itself, but it could help Huntington’s disease patients prepare for changes. It could also help scientists choose candidates for clinical trials based on the states of their disease. That, in turn, could lead to long-term solutions.