Anna G M Temp1, Johannes Prudlo2, Stefan Vielhaber3, Judith Machts4, Andreas Hermann5, Stefan J Teipel6, Elisabeth Kasper7. 1. German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Rostock, Germany. Electronic address: anna.temp@dzne.de. 2. German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Rostock, Germany; Department of Neurology, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany. Electronic address: johannes.prudlo@med.uni-rostock.de. 3. Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany; German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany. Electronic address: stefan.vielhaber@med.ovgu.de. 4. Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany; German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany. Electronic address: judith.wesenberg@med.ovgu.de. 5. German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Rostock, Germany; Translational Neurodegeneration Section "Albrecht-Kossel", Department of Neurology, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany. Electronic address: andreas.hermann@med.uni-rostock.de. 6. German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Rostock, Germany; Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany. Electronic address: stefan.teipel@med.uni-rostock.de. 7. German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Rostock, Germany; Department of Neurology, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany. Electronic address: elisabeth.kasper2@med.uni-rostock.de.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether cognitive reserve measured by education and premorbid IQ allows amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients to compensate for regional brain volume loss. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study. We recruited sixty patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis from two specialist out-patient clinics. All participants underwent neuropsychological assessment; the outcomes were standardized z-scores reflecting verbal fluency, executive functions (shifting, planning, working memory), verbal memory and visuo-constructive ability. The predictor was regional brain volume. The moderating proxies of cognitive reserve were premorbid IQ (estimated by vocabulary) and educational years. We hypothesized that higher cognitive reserve would correlate with better performance on a cognitive test battery, and tested this hypothesis with Bayesian analysis of covariance. RESULTS: The analyses provided moderate to very strong evidence in favor of our hypothesis with regard to verbal fluency functions, working memory, verbal learning and recognition, and visuo-constructive ability (all BF01 > 3): higher cognitive reserve was associated with a mild increase in performance. For shifting and planning ability, the evidence was anecdotal. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that cognitive reserve moderates the effect of brain morphology on cognition in ALS. Patients draw small but meaningful benefits from higher reserve, preserving fluency, memory and visuo-constructive functions. Executive functions presented a dissociation: verbally assessed functions benefitted from cognitive reserve, non-verbally assessed functions did not. This motivates future research into cognitive reserve in ALS and practical implications, such as strengthening reserve to delay decline.
OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether cognitive reserve measured by education and premorbid IQ allows amyotrophic lateral sclerosispatients to compensate for regional brain volume loss. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study. We recruited sixty patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis from two specialist out-patient clinics. All participants underwent neuropsychological assessment; the outcomes were standardized z-scores reflecting verbal fluency, executive functions (shifting, planning, working memory), verbal memory and visuo-constructive ability. The predictor was regional brain volume. The moderating proxies of cognitive reserve were premorbid IQ (estimated by vocabulary) and educational years. We hypothesized that higher cognitive reserve would correlate with better performance on a cognitive test battery, and tested this hypothesis with Bayesian analysis of covariance. RESULTS: The analyses provided moderate to very strong evidence in favor of our hypothesis with regard to verbal fluency functions, working memory, verbal learning and recognition, and visuo-constructive ability (all BF01 > 3): higher cognitive reserve was associated with a mild increase in performance. For shifting and planning ability, the evidence was anecdotal. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that cognitive reserve moderates the effect of brain morphology on cognition in ALS. Patients draw small but meaningful benefits from higher reserve, preserving fluency, memory and visuo-constructive functions. Executive functions presented a dissociation: verbally assessed functions benefitted from cognitive reserve, non-verbally assessed functions did not. This motivates future research into cognitive reserve in ALS and practical implications, such as strengthening reserve to delay decline.
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
Authors: Emma M Devenney; Kate McErlean; Nga Yan Tse; Jashelle Caga; Thanuja Dharmadasa; William Huynh; Colin J Mahoney; Margaret Zoing; Srestha Mazumder; Carol Dobson-Stone; John B Kwok; Glenda M Halliday; John R Hodges; Olivier Piguet; Rebekah M Ahmed; Matthew C Kiernan Journal: Front Neurol Date: 2021-11-25 Impact factor: 4.003
Authors: Anna G M Temp; Elisabeth Kasper; Judith Machts; Stefan Vielhaber; Stefan Teipel; Andreas Hermann; Johannes Prudlo Journal: Ann Clin Transl Neurol Date: 2022-07-22 Impact factor: 5.430