OBJECTIVE: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has been associated with executive dysfunction, particularly in the domain of cognitive set shifting. In a recent event-related potential (ERP) study, shifting-related cortical activity on a complex set-shifting paradigm was found to be attenuated in patients with ALS. Here, we investigated whether this ERP change could also be observed in a simplified set-shifting task adapted for potential clinical use, and in ALS patients without overt cognitive impairment. METHODS: Twenty-six patients and 28 matched healthy controls (HC) completed a set-shifting paradigm involving two task rules and explicit task cues. Cue-locked ERPs were analyzed. RESULTS: ALS patients and HC did not differ in response latency or accuracy. In HC, cues that required shifting task rules elicited more positive parietal ERP waveforms than cues that signaled a rule repetition. This shifting-related amplitude modulation was absent in patients with ALS. The attenuation of ERP activity in ALS patients remained significant when participants with possible cognitive impairment were excluded. CONCLUSIONS: Electrophysiological measures can detect ALS-related changes in the neural substrates of set shifting even when these changes do not become apparent in neuropsychological assessment. SIGNIFICANCE: These findings illustrate the potential utility of ERPs as indicators of cognitive change in ALS.
OBJECTIVE:Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has been associated with executive dysfunction, particularly in the domain of cognitive set shifting. In a recent event-related potential (ERP) study, shifting-related cortical activity on a complex set-shifting paradigm was found to be attenuated in patients with ALS. Here, we investigated whether this ERP change could also be observed in a simplified set-shifting task adapted for potential clinical use, and in ALSpatients without overt cognitive impairment. METHODS: Twenty-six patients and 28 matched healthy controls (HC) completed a set-shifting paradigm involving two task rules and explicit task cues. Cue-locked ERPs were analyzed. RESULTS:ALSpatients and HC did not differ in response latency or accuracy. In HC, cues that required shifting task rules elicited more positive parietal ERP waveforms than cues that signaled a rule repetition. This shifting-related amplitude modulation was absent in patients with ALS. The attenuation of ERP activity in ALSpatients remained significant when participants with possible cognitive impairment were excluded. CONCLUSIONS: Electrophysiological measures can detect ALS-related changes in the neural substrates of set shifting even when these changes do not become apparent in neuropsychological assessment. SIGNIFICANCE: These findings illustrate the potential utility of ERPs as indicators of cognitive change in ALS.
Authors: Barbara Poletti; Laura Carelli; Andrea Faini; Federica Solca; Paolo Meriggi; Annalisa Lafronza; Luciana Ciringione; Elisa Pedroli; Nicola Ticozzi; Andrea Ciammola; Pietro Cipresso; Giuseppe Riva; Vincenzo Silani Journal: PLoS One Date: 2018-08-09 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Jonathan Delijorge; Omar Mendoza-Montoya; Jose L Gordillo; Ricardo Caraza; Hector R Martinez; Javier M Antelis Journal: Front Neurosci Date: 2020-11-27 Impact factor: 4.677
Authors: Anna G M Temp; Elisabeth Kasper; Stefan Vielhaber; Judith Machts; Andreas Hermann; Stefan Teipel; Johannes Prudlo Journal: Brain Behav Date: 2021-12-02 Impact factor: 2.708