Cognitive and Behavioral Impairment in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Oh, Seong-il; Kim, Seung Hyun

Review article

Korean Journal of Neuromuscular Disorders 2015;7(1):9-21.

aDepartment of Neurology, Busan Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Busan; bDepartment of Neurology, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

근위축측삭경화증의 인지장애와 행동장애

오성일, 김승현

인제대학교 의과대학 부산백병원 신경과a, 한양대학교 의과대학 신경과b

Abstract

Cognitive and behavioral impairment in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is now well recognized that there is clinical, pathological and genetic overlap between ALS and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Although the cognitive and behavioral status of most patients is not yet fully recognized, roughly up to half of patients with ALS develop cognitive and behavioral impairments and a smaller subgroup of ALS patients, who impaired more severely in cognitive function and behavior, meet the criteria for the FTD (ALS-FTD). Deficits are characterized by executive impairments, extending to changes in language and social cognition, then implying a clinical spectrum linking ALS and FTD. Understanding of cognitive and behavioral impairment in ALS will improve clinical management for patients and their carers and provide valuable clues to encompass the heterogeneity of cognitive and behavioral impairments in ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases.