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Eye-Tracking Control to Assess Cognitive Functions in Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Published on: October 13, 2016
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Functional reorganization during cognitive function tasks in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Jürgen Keller1, Sarah Böhm1, Helena E A Aho-Özhan1
1Department of Neurology, University of Ulm, Oberer Eselsberg 45, 89081, Ulm, Germany.
Brain Imaging and Behavior
|June 11, 2017
Summary
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients show cognitive deficits, but brain imaging reveals increased activity in certain areas, suggesting an early adaptive response to neuronal loss.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neurology
Background:
- Cognitive deficits, particularly in social cognition and executive function, are prevalent in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
- The underlying pathogenesis and adaptive cortical patterns associated with these deficits remain poorly understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate cognitive and behavioral deficits in ALS patients using the Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioural ALS Screen (ECAS).
- To examine cortical activity patterns during cognitive tasks using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in ALS patients compared to healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- 65 ALS patients and 33 healthy controls underwent cognitive testing with the ECAS.
- fMRI was used to assess cortical activation during social cognition and executive function tasks adapted from the ECAS.
Main Results:
- ALS patients performed worse on the ECAS overall and in most subdomains compared to controls, excluding memory.
- fMRI revealed altered cortical activation in ALS patients, characterized by consistent hyperactivation in relevant brain areas.
- Higher cognitive performance and behavioral unimpaired status in ALS patients correlated with greater activation in frontal and orbitofrontal areas, respectively.
Conclusions:
- Cortical hyperactivation during fMRI tasks may represent an early adaptive mechanism to compensate for neuronal loss in ALS.
- This adaptive cortical pattern may precede the clinical manifestation of cognitive and behavioral impairments once neuronal loss exceeds a critical threshold.
