Cognitive and behavioral changes were found early in people with primary lateral sclerosis
Original source
Early Cognitive and Behavioral Changes in Primary Lateral Sclerosis: A Population-Based Study. (opens in a new tab)Compass summarised this from the study's abstract.
Study details
- Studied in
- Human
A population-based study found cognitive or behavioral impairment in 29.3% of 32 people with primary lateral sclerosis (PLS) assessed around diagnosis. Difficulties most often involved executive function, memory and social cognition, and were also seen in some people with early PLS. No participant met criteria for frontotemporal dementia.
Why this matters
The findings suggest that PLS can affect thinking and behavior as well as movement from relatively early in the disease. This may matter for clinical assessment and support, but the study does not show that testing or treatment changes outcomes.
Limitations and context
This was a single observational study of 32 people identified through an Italian population-based ALS register. Participants were assessed within three months of their first ALS-centre visit, so the results do not establish how symptoms change over time or apply to every person with PLS. The study also compared participants with predominant upper motor neuron ALS and healthy controls, rather than testing an intervention.