Pathological laughter and crying in multiple system atrophy with different subtypes: Frequency and related factors

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Clinical Neuroscience

Background:

• Pathological laughter and crying (PLC) is a neurological symptom observed in various neurodegenerative conditions.
• Understanding the prevalence and impact of PLC in multiple system atrophy (MSA) is crucial for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the frequency of PLC in patients with MSA, MSA-parkinsonian subtype (MSA-P), and MSA-cerebellar type (MSA-C).
• To identify factors associated with PLC in MSA patients.
• To evaluate the effect of PLC on the survival of early-stage MSA patients.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 465 MSA patients was analyzed.
• Binary logistic regression was used to identify factors related to PLC.
• Propensity score matching (PSM) and Cox regression models were employed to assess PLC's impact on survival in 142 early-stage MSA patients.

Main Results:

• The frequency of PLC was approximately 12-13% across MSA, MSA-P, and MSA-C subtypes.
• Younger age and higher UMSARS scores were significantly associated with PLC.
• Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that PLC was not a predictor of mortality in early-stage MSA.

Conclusions:

• PLC is a relatively common symptom in MSA, irrespective of subtype.
• Disease severity and younger age are linked to the occurrence of PLC in MSA.
• PLC does not appear to influence the prognosis or survival duration in patients with early-stage MSA.