title: Is language impairment more common than executive dysfunction in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Systematic explorations of language abilities in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are lacking in the context of wider cognitive change.
  
  
  METHODS
  Neuropsychological assessment data were obtained from 51 patients with ALS and 35 healthy controls matched for age, gender and IQ. Composite scores were derived for the domains of language and executive functioning. Domain impairment was defined as a composite score ≤5th centile relative to the control mean. Cognitive impairment was also classified using recently published consensus criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patients with ALS were impaired on language and executive composite scores. Language domain impairment was found in 43% of patients with ALS, and executive domain impairment in 31%. Standardised language and executive composite scores correlated in the ALS group (r=0.68, p<0.001). Multiple regression analyses indicated that scores on the executive composite accounted for 44% of the variance in language composite scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Language impairments are at least as prevalent as executive dysfunction in ALS. While the two domains are strongly associated, executive dysfunction does not fully account for the profile of language impairments observed, further highlighting the heterogeneity of cognitive impairment in non-demented patients with ALS.
authors.affiliation: King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Psychology, London, UK.
authors.forename: Lorna J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Richard G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Stella
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tsermentseli
authors.forename: Ammar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al-Chalabi
authors.forename: Christopher E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Shaw
authors.forename: Catherine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Ellis
authors.forename: P Nigel
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Leigh
authors.forename: Laura H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Goldstein
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D007806:Language Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011932:Reading; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology