Psychometric properties of the Russian version of the Edinburgh cognitive and behavioral amyotrophic lateral sclerosis screen

Abstract

Background

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative condition with observable cognitive and behavioral impairment. The Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioral ALS Screen (ECAS) is a tool developed specifically for people with ALS (pwALS) and previously translated into Russian, but the psychometric properties have not yet been explored. The aim was to explore and determine the psychometric properties of the Russian-version of ECAS (ECAS-R).

Methods

56 Russian speaking pwALS, 32 of their caregivers and 26 healthy controls were recruited for the study. They completed the ECAS-R, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). King Staging System was also utilized. Internal consistency, divergent and convergent validity, as well as culturally-derived cutoff scores of ECAS-R were determined.

Results

The internal consistency of ECAS-R was good (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.73). Convergent validity was observed though a strong correlation between the ECAS-R and MoCA scores. No correlation between ECAS-R and PHQ-9 were observed in terms of divergent validity. Based on culturally-derived cutoff scores, 64.2% (N = 36) of pwALS displayed cognitive impairment, with the most affected cognitive domains as executive function and language. Apathy was the most common behavioral impairment for pwALS followed by a loss of sympathy/empathy.

Conclusions

The ECAS-R is valid and reliable tool for the screening for the cognitive and behavioral impairment in Russian-speaking pwALS, with culturally-derived cutoffs presented.

Keywords:

• Motor neuron disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
• Cognitive
• Behavioral
• ECAS

Acknowledgement

We would like to thank Dr. Lev Brylev and Live Now Foundation for their constant support of patients with ALS in Russia and translation of ECAS into Russian.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Bashkir State Medical University Strategic Academic Leadership Program (PRIORITY-2030).