The Behavioral/Cognitive Status of Motor Neuron Disease Patients Should Be Assessed With Disease-Specific Tools

Abstract

Evaluation of: Raaphorst J, Beeldman E, Schmand B et al. The ALS-FTD-Q: a new screening tool for behavioral disturbances in ALS. Neurology 79(13), 1377–1383 (2012). The issue of cognitive and behavioral disorders in motor neuron disease is the focus of intensive investigation. The screening tool developed by Raaphorst et al. represents a clinically significant advancement, because of its excellent psychometric properties. Further studies are needed to assess the relationship between behavioral disturbances, executive dysfunction and social cognition impairment in motor neuron disease.

Keywords:

• behavioral scale
• cognition
• frontotemporal dementia
• motor neuron disease

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The author has no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.