Behavioral changes in early ALS correlate with voxel-based morphometry and diffusion tensor imaging

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• 作者：Masashi Tsujimoto^a ; Jo Senda^a ; Tetsuro Ishihara^a ; Yoshiki Niimi^a ; Yoshinari Kawai^a ; Naoki Atsuta^a ; Hirohisa Watanabe^a ; Fumiaki Tanaka^a ; Shinji Naganawa^b ; Gen Sobue^a ; ^{sobueg@med.nagoya-u.ac.jp"" rel=""nofollow}
• 关键词：Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ; Behavioral changes ; Apathy ; The Frontal System Behavior Scale (FrSBe) ; Voxel-based morphometry ; Diffusion tensor imaging
• 刊名：Journal of the Neurological Sciences
• 出版年：2011
• 出版时间：15 August 2011
• 年：2011
• 卷：307
• 期：1-2
• 页码：34-40
• 全文大小：832 K

文摘

Background

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a multisystem disorder with impairment of frontotemporal functions such as cognition and behavior, but the behavioral changes associated with ALS are not well defined.

Methods

Twenty-one consecutive patients with sporadic ALS and 21 control subjects participated in the study. The Frontal System Behavior Scale (FrSBe) was used to assess behavioral change. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and voxel-based analysis of diffusion tensor images (DTI) were performed to explore the associations of brain degeneration with behavior. All patients were evaluated before the notification of ALS.

Results

FrSBe scores of ALS patients before notification were significantly increased compared to those of control subjects. Moreover, the FrSBe Apathy score of ALS patients significantly changed from pre- to post-illness (P < 0.001). The severity of apathy was significantly correlated with atrophy in the prefrontal cortex, especially in the orbitofrontal (P = 0.006) and dorsolateral prefrontal (P = 0.006) cortices in VBM, and in the right frontal gyrus (P < 0.001) in DTI.

Conclusions

ALS patients exhibited apathy during the early course of the illness, the severity of which was significantly associated with frontal lobe involvement. These findings support the view that a continuum exits between ALS and frontotemporal dementia.