Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Aug 2017
Comparative StudyExamining the language and behavioural profile in FTD and ALS-FTD.
A proportion of patients with behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) develop amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). It is currently unknown whether the behavioural and cognitive syndrome in bvFTD with ALS (ALS-FTD) is indistinguishable from that of bvFTD alone. ⋯ Our findings suggest differences between bvFTD and ALS-FTD. In particular, while changes in social behaviour are prominent in bvFTD alone, there may be a comparatively greater degree of language impairment in ALS-FTD. Prospective exploration of the pattern of differences between these groups will be essential. Identification of a distinct neuropsychological phenotype in ALS-FTD may have clinical implications for early diagnosis, disease management and care planning and theoretical implications for our understanding of the relationship between ALS and FTD.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Aug 2017
Survival and cause of death in multiple sclerosis: a 60-year longitudinal population study.
Survival and causes of death (COD) in multiple sclerosis (MS) provide ultimate endpoints. We aimed to investigate survival and COD in a 60-year population-based MS cohort compared with the general population. ⋯ We found a 7-year shorter life expectancy and almost threefold higher mortality in MS compared with the general population. A rise in survival in MS was observed during the entire observation period.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Aug 2017
ReviewNeuropsychiatric syndromes of multiple sclerosis.
Neuropsychiatric signs and symptoms occur frequently in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS), either as the initial presenting complaint prior to a definitive neurological diagnosis or more commonly with disease progression. However, the pathogenesis of these comorbid conditions remains unclear and it remains difficult to accurately elucidate if neuropsychiatric symptoms or conditions are indicators of MS illness severity. Furthermore, both the disease process and the treatments of MS can adversely impact an individual's mental health. In this review, we discuss the common neuropsychiatric syndromes that occur in MS and describe the clinical symptoms, aetiology, neuroimaging findings and management strategies for these conditions.