Human cognitive neuroscience seminar

Speaker: Caroline McHutchinson (University of Edinburgh)

Title: Pe-symptomatic mild cognitive and behaviour impairment in ALS-FTSD: A conceptual framework

Abstract: Neurodegenerative diseases pass through a pre-symptomatic or prodromal stage that may include mild symptoms that do not yet reach the threshold for a clinical diagnosis. In amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a spectrum of frontotemporal symptoms may occur (ALS-FTSD), with around 35% experiencing mild cognitive and behavioural impairment and a further 15% meeting the criteria for frontotemporal dementia (ALS-FTD). For some individuals these cognitive and behavioural features may emerge prior to motor symptoms, representing a prodromal stage of the disease. Criteria exist for defining cognitive and behavioural impairment in ALS but are lacking for pre-symptomatic disease.

We introduce a framework for characterising prodromal cognitive and behavioural symptoms in pre-symptomatic ALS and discuss illustrative cases. Implementation of this framework will advance research allowing intervention early in the course of disease.