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Updated: May 19, 2026
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Eye-Tracking Control to Assess Cognitive Functions in Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Published on: October 13, 2016
Processing and memory for emotional and neutral material in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Marion Cuddy1, Benjamin J Papps, Madhav Thambisetty
1King's College London, KHP Centre for Neurodegeneration Research, Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK.
Summary
People with ALS (pwALS) showed similar emotional memory to controls, but some had trouble recognizing emotions. Emotional processing differences in ALS may impact care.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Neurology
Background:
- Changes in emotional memory and processing are reported in people with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (pwALS).
- Understanding these changes is crucial for patient care and management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze differences in emotional processing and memory between pwALS and healthy controls.
- To investigate the relationship between emotional memory and self-reported depression in pwALS.
Main Methods:
- Nineteen pwALS and 19 healthy controls were assessed.
- Evaluated measures included emotional processing, emotional memory, verbal memory, and depression.
- Utilized emotional recognition tasks and emotional valence ratings for word stimuli.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in overall emotional memory between pwALS and controls.
- A subgroup of pwALS performed poorly on an emotional recognition task.
- pwALS rated positive words significantly stronger than negative words (emotional valence).
- Higher emotional word ratings correlated with better recall in controls, but not in pwALS.
- No association found between self-reported depression and emotional processing or memory variables.
Conclusions:
- A subgroup of pwALS may exhibit weakened 'emotional enhancement'.
- This effect might be linked to general memory impairment rather than specific emotional memory deficits.
- Altered processing of emotionally salient material in pwALS has potential implications for care and management.
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