ALS linked to C9orf72 repeat expansion showed greater difficulty interpreting thoughts and emotions
Original source
Theory of mind impairment related to C9orf72 repeat expansion in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a case-control study. (opens in a new tab)Compass summarised this from the study's abstract.
Study details
- Studied in
- Human
Population inferred from the title and abstract by Compass.
Related topics
People with ALS carrying a C9orf72 repeat expansion performed worse on tests of theory of mind, the ability to interpret other people’s intentions and emotions, than people with ALS without the expansion. They also scored lower than healthy participants, including some participants whose cognition was otherwise considered normal.
Why this matters
The findings suggest that theory-of-mind difficulties, particularly with interpreting emotions, may help identify cognitive involvement in C9orf72-associated ALS. This was a small assessment study and does not yet change treatment or establish how the findings should be used in care.
Limitations and context
The study included 34 C9orf72-positive ALS participants, 34 matched C9orf72-negative ALS participants and 34 healthy controls. Its findings require confirmation in larger samples. The study measured performance on neuropsychological tests and cannot by itself establish a clinical diagnostic or treatment use.