Publications by authors named "E de P Bersano"
Background: This study aimed to determine whether educational attainment-a common proxy of cognitive reserve (CR)-influences the association between motor and cognitive/behavioural outcomes in a large cohort of ALS patients without dementia.
Methods: N = 726 ALS patients without FTD were assessed for motor (ALSFRS-R), cognitive (Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioural ALS Screen, ECAS) and behavioural outcomes (ECAS-Carer Interview, ECAS-CI). CR was operationalized via educational attainment (in years).
Article Synopsis
- Repeat expansions in the C9orf72 gene are a leading genetic cause of ALS and frontotemporal dementia, but understanding how this mutation causes neuron death is still unclear, complicating the search for effective therapies.
- Researchers analyzed data from over 41,000 ALS and healthy samples to identify potential treatments, discovering that acamprosate, a drug used for other conditions, might be repurposed for C9orf72-related diseases.
- Their findings demonstrated that acamprosate has neuroprotective properties in cell models and works similarly well as the current treatment, riluzole, showing the potential of using genomic data to find new drug applications.
Background: This study aimed at (1) delivering generalizable estimates of the prevalence of frontotemporal-spectrum disorders (FTSDs) in non-demented ALS patients and (2) exploring their motor-functional correlates.
Methods: N = 808 ALS patients without FTD were assessed for motor-functional outcomes-i.e.
Introduction: It has been recently acknowledged that deficits in experiencing and processing one's own emotions, also termed alexithymia, may possibly feature the frontotemporal-spectrum disorders. This study aims to determine whether alexithymia could be included within the frontotemporal syndromes of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Methods: Alexithymic traits were estimated in a cohort of 68 non-demented ALS patients with the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20).
Objective: In elderly people loneliness represents a risk factor for dementia and may negatively impact on mental and physical health. The specific contribute of loneliness to cognitive and behavioral functioning have not yet been determined in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Our hypothesis was that loneliness may be related to motor dysfunction with a negative impact on cognitive and behavioral decline, possibly related to specific cortical involvement.
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