title: The validation of the Italian Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioural ALS Screen (ECAS).
abstract: This study presents the Italian validation of the recently developed Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioural ALS Screen (ECAS), a short screen for cognitive/behavioural alterations in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We evaluated the psychometric properties of the ECAS Italian version in terms of reliability and convergent validity for both cognitive and behavioural features. Furthermore, we investigated the relationship with affective and clinical variables, in addition to ECAS usability and patients' insight into cognitive/behaviour changes. Finally, correlations between genetic and cognitive/behavioural data were analysed. We recruited 107 patients with ALS. Normative data were collected on 248 healthy subjects. Participants were administered the ECAS and two standard cognitive screening tools (FAB, MoCA), two psychological questionnaires (BDI, STAI/Y) and an ad hoc usability questionnaire. The FBI was also carried out with caregivers. Results showed that the ECAS Italian version discriminated well between patients and controls. The most prevalent deficit occurred in executive functions and fluency. Correlations were observed between the ECAS and standard cognitive screening tools and between the ECAS carer interview and the FBI, supporting its full convergent validity. In conclusion, the ECAS Italian version provides clinicians with a rapid, feasible and sensitive tool, useful to identify different profiles of cognitive-behavioural impairment in ALS.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience - IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano , Milan , Italy.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Poletti
authors.affiliation: a Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience - IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano , Milan , Italy.
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Solca
authors.affiliation: a Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience - IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano , Milan , Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Carelli
authors.affiliation: b Research Centre on Public Health, Department of Medicine and Surgery , University of Milano-Bicocca , Milan , Italy.
authors.forename: Fabiana
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Madotto
authors.affiliation: a Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience - IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano , Milan , Italy.
authors.forename: Annalisa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lafronza
authors.affiliation: c Department of Cardiovascular, Neural and Metabolic Sciences - IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano , Milan , Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Faini
authors.affiliation: d Department of Neurorehabilitation Sciences , Casa Cura Policlinico , Milan , Italy.
authors.forename: Alessia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Monti
authors.affiliation: e Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health , Università degli Studi di Milano, IRCCS Fondazione Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico , Milan , Italy.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zago
authors.affiliation: a Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience - IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano , Milan , Italy.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Calini
authors.affiliation: a Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience - IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano , Milan , Italy.
authors.forename: Cinzia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tiloca
authors.affiliation: a Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience - IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano , Milan , Italy.|f Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation , 'Dino Ferrari' Centre, Università degli Studi di Milano , Milan , Italy , and.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Doretti
authors.affiliation: a Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience - IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano , Milan , Italy.|f Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation , 'Dino Ferrari' Centre, Università degli Studi di Milano , Milan , Italy , and.
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Verde
authors.affiliation: a Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience - IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano , Milan , Italy.|f Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation , 'Dino Ferrari' Centre, Università degli Studi di Milano , Milan , Italy , and.
authors.forename: Antonia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ratti
authors.affiliation: a Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience - IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano , Milan , Italy.|f Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation , 'Dino Ferrari' Centre, Università degli Studi di Milano , Milan , Italy , and.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ticozzi
authors.affiliation: g Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research, Anne Rowling Regenerate Neurology Clinic, Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, Human Cognitive Neuroscience-PPLS, University of Edinburgh , Edinburgh , UK.
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abrahams
authors.affiliation: a Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience - IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano , Milan , Italy.|f Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation , 'Dino Ferrari' Centre, Università degli Studi di Milano , Milan , Italy , and.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Silani
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000235:genetics; D000073885:C9orf72 Protein; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013223:Statistics as Topic
chemical_list: D000073885:C9orf72 Protein; C568651:C9orf72 protein, human; D011506:Proteins
keywords: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); ECAS; behaviour change; cognitive assessment