title: Executive dysfunction and survival in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: Preliminary report from a Serbian centre for motor neuron disease.
abstract: Our objective was to determine whether the presence of executive dysfunction in non-demented amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients might affect the longevity of survival. Forty-eight consecutive non-demented ALS patients (mean age = 52.93 ± 12.37) were followed for five years. All patients underwent clinical and neuropsychological assessments at baseline visit. Further, a yearly follow-up check for associated dementia (ALS-Dem) was completed and the time of death was recorded, when applicable. Executive deficits were shown in 49.5% of ALS patients, with the most striking differences found on the tests of verbal fluency (both phonemic and category, p < 0.01); as well as inefficient strategy on a working memory test (p < 0.05); as on the more demanding levels of the planning and problem solving task (p < 0.01). It appears that the baseline executive status might predict survival in ALS (p = 0.075), and the patients presenting executive dysfunction could have up to three times greater risk of death, after adjustment by several potential confounding factors. In conclusion, this study suggests that executive dysfunction could potentially influence survival in ALS patients. The cognitive testing might give us important clues about the prognosis of the disease. Further studies with larger sample size are necessary.
authors: a Neurology Clinic, Clinical Centre of Serbia and.|b Medical Faculty , University of Belgrade , Serbia.
authors: Tanja
authors: T
authors: Stojkovic
authors: a Neurology Clinic, Clinical Centre of Serbia and.|b Medical Faculty , University of Belgrade , Serbia.
authors: Elka
authors: E
authors: Stefanova
authors: a Neurology Clinic, Clinical Centre of Serbia and.|b Medical Faculty , University of Belgrade , Serbia.
authors: Tatjana
authors: T
authors: Pekmezovic
authors: a Neurology Clinic, Clinical Centre of Serbia and.
authors: Stojan
authors: S
authors: Peric
authors: a Neurology Clinic, Clinical Centre of Serbia and.|b Medical Faculty , University of Belgrade , Serbia.
authors: Zorica
authors: Z
authors: Stevic
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055771:Serbia / Q000453:epidemiology; D016019:Survival Analysis
keywords: CANTAB; Category fluency; survival