title: Relation of neuropsychological and magnetic resonance findings in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: evidence for subgroups.
abstract: The relationship between neuropsychological impairments and changes in cranial MR images was investigated in a group of 74 consecutive patients with the sporadic form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Neuropsychological tests included measures of frontal lobe function, memory, intelligence, and attention. Compared with a control group, a significant impairment of the ALS group emerged for the areas of visual attention, inhibition of response alternatives, visual memory, and word generation. These neuropsychological impairments did not show a relation to clinical status of the patients. Likewise, MR parameters derived by computer assisted planimetric analysis showed a ventricular enlargement and parenchymal atrophy in the ALS group compared with age-matched controls. When ALS patients were assigned to two subgroups differing on the basis of the neuropsychological tests by cluster-analysis the cluster with the significant impairment also showed a pronounced change for the MR-parameters while the subgroup showed essentially normal neuropsychological performance. This pattern suggests that subgroups of ALS with differential impairment of neuropsychological functions can be defined.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Haas
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Heinze
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stark
authors.forename: T F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Münte
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001284:Atrophy; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology; D002552:Cerebral Ventricles / Q000473:pathology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007360:Intelligence / Q000502:physiology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests