TY - JOUR
TI - Frontotemporal dysfunction in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A discriminant function analysis
AU - Nidos, A.
AU - Kasselimis, D.S.
AU - Simos, P.G.
AU - Rentzos, M.
AU - Alexakis, T.
AU - Zalonis, I.
AU - Zouvelou, V.
AU - Potagas, C.
AU - Evdokimidis, I.
AU - Woolley, S.C.
JO - Neurodegenerative Diseases
PY - 2016
VL - 16
TODO - 3-4
SP - 140-146
PB - S Karger AG
SN - 1660-2854, 1660-2862
TODO - 10.1159/000381186
TODO - adult;  aged;  amyotrophic lateral sclerosis;  Article;  behavior;  Boston naming test;  clinical article;  comprehension;  controlled clinical trial;  controlled study;  diagnostic test accuracy study;  discriminant analysis;  executive function;  extramotor dysfunction;  female;  human;  language;  male;  middle aged;  motor neuron disease;  neuropsychological test;  phonetics;  predictive value;  prevalence;  priority journal;  psychometry;  receiver operating characteristic;  semantics;  sensitivity and specificity;  very elderly;  amyotrophic lateral sclerosis;  discriminant analysis;  executive function;  frontal lobe;  language;  neuropsychological test;  pathophysiology;  psychology;  reproducibility;  temporal lobe, Adult;  Aged;  Aged, 80 and over;  Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis;  Discriminant Analysis;  Executive Function;  Female;  Frontal Lobe;  Humans;  Language;  Male;  Middle Aged;  Neuropsychological Tests;  Psychometrics;  Reproducibility of Results;  ROC Curve;  Sensitivity and Specificity;  Temporal Lobe
TODO - Background: There is growing evidence for extramotor dysfunction (EMd) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), with a reported prevalence of up to 52%. Objective: In the present study, we explore the clinical utility of a brief neuropsychological battery for the investigation of cognitive, behavioral, and language deficits in patients with ALS. Methods: Thirty-four consecutive ALS patients aged 44-89 years were tested with a brief neuropsychological battery, including executive, behavioral, and language measures. Patients were initially classified as EMd or non-EMd based on their scores on the frontal assessment battery (FAB). Results: Between-group comparisons revealed significant differences in all measures (p < 0.01). Discriminant analysis resulted in a single canonical function, with all tests serving as significant predictors. This function agreed with the FAB in 13 of 17 patients screened as EMd and identified extramotor deficits in 2 additional patients. Overall sensitivity and specificity estimates against FAB were 88.2%. Conclusions: We stress the importance of discriminant function analysis in clinical neuropsychological assessment and argue that the proposed neuropsychological battery may be of clinical value, especially when the option of extensive and comprehensive neuropsychological testing is limited. The psychometric validity of an ALS-frontotemporal dementia diagnosis using neuropsychological tests is also discussed. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.
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