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Utility of Dissociated Intrinsic Hand Muscle Atrophy in the Diagnosis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Published on: March 4, 2014
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Primitive reflexes in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: prevalence and correlates
Lucio Tremolizzo1, Emanuela Susani, Christian Lunetta
1Neurology Unit, ALS center and Memory Clinic, San Gerardo Hospital, via Pergolesi 33, Monza, 20900, Italy, lucio.tremolizzo@unimib.it.
Journal of Neurology
|April 15, 2014
Summary
Primitive reflexes (PRs) show promise for screening cognitive impairment in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Their presence, particularly palmomental, corneomandibular, and glabella tap reflexes, correlates with lower cognitive scores in ALS patients.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurology
- Clinical Assessment
Background:
- Identifying frontal impairment in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is crucial, yet dedicated tools are limited.
- Primitive reflexes (PRs) are considered potential indicators of frontal release or upper motor neuron (UMN) dysfunction, particularly in dementia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of seven specific PRs in ALS patients.
- To investigate the association of PRs with cognitive impairment and UMN dysfunction in ALS.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study evaluated 50 consecutive ALS outpatients for seven PRs: palmomental (PM), corneomandibular (CM), glabella tap (MY), rooting, sucking, snout, and grasping.
- Cognitive function was assessed using the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) and Weigl's Sorting Test (WST).
- UMN dysfunction was evaluated concurrently.
Main Results:
- PM, CM, and MY reflexes were most prevalent (62%, 52%, 44% respectively).
- Patients with three or more PRs exhibited significantly lower FAB and WST scores.
- UMN dysfunction showed only a moderate association with the presence of PRs.
Conclusions:
- Primitive reflex assessment is a potentially valuable complementary tool for screening cognitive impairment in ALS.
- Further research is needed to confirm the added value of PRs compared to existing ALS-specific cognitive screening tools.
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