According to a new research, 4 out of 5 individuals with motor neuron disease (MND) have a likelihood of changes in brain function along with impairment in movement. Patients even in the early stages of MND may experience a decline in thinking skills and behavioural changes such as apathy.
The study included 161 individuals with MND and 80 control individuals without MND from the United Kingdom and Ireland. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh utilised a tool known as the Edinburgh Cognitive and Behaviour ALS Screen (ECAS) to evaluate skills including attention, decision making, social cognition and language, and memory. Information regarding behavioural symptoms, such as apathy and loss of sympathy or empathy was also obtained from the carers.
Compared with the control individuals, patients with MND had lower scores in all thinking parameters except visual-spatial ability. The decline in thinking skills and the frequency of behavioural symptoms was higher among those in the more advanced stages of the disease. The researchers found that by the end stage of MND, 1 in 5 patients is free from cognitive or behavioural change.
Professor Sharon Abrahams from the School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences said: "Early screening for these changes could help patients and carers minimise the impact of these changes by providing appropriate support and care."