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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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Repeated cognitive assessments show stable function over time in patients with ALS
Linn Öijerstedt1,2, Juliette Foucher3,4, Anikó Lovik5,6
1Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Insitutet, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden. linn.oijerstedt@ki.se.
Journal of Neurology
|June 9, 2024
Summary
Cognitive impairment affects 38% of patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) at diagnosis, correlating with faster motor decline and shorter survival. However, cognitive function remained stable over two years post-diagnosis.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a complex multisystem disorder.
- Beyond motor symptoms, ALS presents extra-motor features, notably cognitive impairment.
- Commonly observed cognitive deficits include executive function, language, and social cognition challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess cognitive impairment at ALS diagnosis.
- To investigate the association between cognitive impairment and survival.
- To explore longitudinal changes in cognitive function over time in ALS patients.
Main Methods:
- Recruited 216 patients at Karolinska University Hospital.
- Conducted 307 follow-up visits every 6 months.
- Utilized Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioural ALS Screen (ECAS) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) for cognitive assessment.
Main Results:
- 38% of ALS patients exhibited cognitive impairment at diagnosis, primarily affecting executive function and language.
- Cognitive impairment at diagnosis predicted a faster decline in ALSFRS-R at 12 and 18 months.
- Patients with cognitive impairment had reduced survival rates.
- Cognitive function remained stable for the first two years, independent of motor function decline.
Conclusions:
- Cognitive impairment in ALS is linked to accelerated motor function decline and poorer survival outcomes.
- Cognitive function in ALS patients demonstrated stability over the initial two years post-diagnosis.
- Essential to integrate cognitive assessments for comprehensive understanding and management of ALS phenotypes.
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