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Updated: Feb 15, 2026
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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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Structural and functional papez circuit integrity in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Ana Paula Arantes Bueno1, Walter Hugo L Pinaya1, Luciana M Moura1
1Center of Mathematics, Computation and Cognition, Universidade Federal do ABC, Santo André, Brazil.
Brain Imaging and Behavior
|January 29, 2018
Summary
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients show structural brain changes and significant functional connectivity deficits in the Papez circuit, impacting episodic memory. These functional changes may help detect memory issues early in ALS.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Cognitive impairment is a recognized feature in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), extending beyond executive dysfunction.
- Episodic memory deficits and temporal lobe changes are reported in ALS, yet the Papez circuit's role is less explored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate structural and functional alterations in the Papez circuit in ALS patients.
- To correlate these changes with episodic memory performance.
Main Methods:
- Multimodal MRI including cortical volume, VBM, DTI, and resting-state fMRI.
- Comparison between 20 ALS patients and 15 healthy controls.
Main Results:
- ALS patients exhibited reduced gray matter in the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, and posterior cingulate.
- Increased white matter fractional anisotropy and decreased mean diffusivity were observed in the left cingulum bundle (hippocampal part).
- Significant decreases in functional connectivity were found across Papez circuit regions, including the hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus.
Conclusions:
- ALS is associated with significant structural and prominent functional connectivity abnormalities within the Papez circuit.
- Altered functional connectivity in the Papez network may serve as an early indicator for memory symptom development in ALS.
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