Does ALS cause dementia?

In ALS, some individuals develop dementia that most commonly presents as FTD, others develop cognitive and/or behavioral impairment without dementia, and some patients never develop any cognitive or behavioral impairment.
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Are ALS and dementia related?

Because dementia is not a common feature associated with ALS, and can have many causes, it is important to see your health care provider if you develop any changes in personality, behavior, language comprehension, or memory.
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Does ALS affect the memory?

Most experts believe that ALS does not affect a person's mental processes. In most people, neither cognitive processes (such as thinking, learning, memory, and speech) nor behavior is affected. Occasionally, however, a person with ALS does experience profound mental changes, which are called dementia.
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Does ALS cause cognitive impairment?

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is marked by progressive degeneration of motor neurons, with death usually occurring 2 to 3 years from onset. Approximately 35% of patients with ALS experience cognitive or behavioral impairment, with an additional 15% having frontotemporal dementia.
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What does ALS do to the brain?

ALS affects the nerve cells that control voluntary muscle movements such as walking and talking (motor neurons). ALS causes the motor neurons to gradually deteriorate, and then die. Motor neurons extend from the brain to the spinal cord to muscles throughout the body.
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Mayo Clinic Researchers Find Gene That Is Common Cause of ALS and Frontotemporal Dementia



What is the typical age for ALS?

Although the disease can strike at any age, symptoms most commonly develop between the ages of 55 and 75. Gender. Men are slightly more likely than women to develop ALS. However, as people age the difference between men and women disappears.
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How quickly does ALS progress?

And you're right; it takes on average about nine to 12 months for someone to be diagnosed with ALS, from the time they first began to notice symptoms. Getting the proper evaluation in a timely way is important, especially since we have a drug, Rilutek, which has been shown to help delay the progression of ALS.
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Is there confusion in ALS?

Symptoms of FTD in ALS

Most people's perceptions of “dementia” include the dramatic memory loss, confusion and disorientation often seen in people with Alzheimer's disease. In ALS, however, “dementia” does not typically affect memory or render people unable to recognize their loved ones.
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What's the difference between ALS and dementia?

While dementia is a general term, Alzheimer's disease is a specific brain disease. It is marked by symptoms of dementia that gradually get worse over time. Alzheimer's disease first affects the part of the brain associated with learning, so early symptoms often include changes in memory, thinking and reasoning skills.
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Is ALS related to Alzheimer's?

On the surface, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Alzheimer's disease share two commonalities: Both are progressively debilitating neurodegenerative conditions--meaning symptoms get worse--and, at least for now, neither has an effective treatment, let alone a cure.
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What is the last stage of ALS?

Death Stage

Death is the last and final stage of ALS. A patient eventually dies from a lack of oxygen and the inability to function lung muscles. The most common cause of ALS death is respiratory failure, followed by pneumonia and cardiovascular complications.
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Do ALS patients hallucinate?

Delusions and hallucinations in this cohort of patients were reported to be mainly negative in nature, not related to their personal life experience (Snowden et al., 2012).
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Does ALS cause frontotemporal dementia?

About a third of those with ALS also develop frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a destruction of neurons in the brain that causes profound personality changes and disability. The two diseases are similar in both pathology and genetics.
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Does the brain shrink with ALS?

Conclusions: The presence of mild whole-brain volume loss and regional frontotemporal atrophy in patients with ALS could explain the presence of cognitive impairment and confirms the idea of ALS as a degenerative brain disease not confined to motor system.
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Does ALS cause the brain to shrink?

Conclusion. The present study evidenced mild whole-brain volume loss and frontotemporal atrophy in patients with ALS. These findings could explain cognitive impairment and support the idea of ALS as a brain degenerative disease not confined to the motor system.
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What is the main cause of dementia?

Dementia is caused by damage to or changes in the brain. Common causes of dementia are: Alzheimer's disease. This is the most common cause of dementia.
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Does dementia run in families?

Many people affected by dementia are concerned that they may inherit or pass on dementia. The majority of dementia is not inherited by children and grandchildren. In rarer types of dementia there may be a strong genetic link, but these are only a tiny proportion of overall cases of dementia.
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Does ALS affect personality?

Some people with ALS will never develop changes in thinking or behavior. For others with ALS, there will be mild changes in how they think or behave but they are still able to function independently and make informed decisions about their care.
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What are the last stages of ALS like?

Late stages
  • Mobility is extremely limited, and help is needed in caring for most personal needs.
  • Poor respiration may cause fatigue, fuzzy thinking, headaches, and susceptibility to pneumonia. (Respiratory insufficiency is a leading cause of death in ALS.)
  • Speech, or eating and drinking by mouth, may not be possible.
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Can ALS patients live at home?

And most ALS patients are able to live at home throughout most or all of the disease's progression. It's typically the cheapest option, and allows you to stay in a place that is familiar and comfortable to you. To continue living at home, though, some changes will likely be required.
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What does late stage ALS look like?

Late stages

Most voluntary muscles are paralyzed. The ability to move air in and out of the lungs is severely compromised. Mobility is extremely limited; needs must be attended to by a caregiver. Poor respiration may cause fatigue, fuzzy thinking, headaches, and susceptibility to pneumonia.
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What actress has ALS?

The star was speaking while promoting a documentary, Introducing Selma Blair, which follows her as she "reconciles a journey of monumental transition" to living with the incurable condition, which affects the brain and spinal cord, causing vision, balance and muscle problems.
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Why is ALS becoming more common?

Here we show that the number of ALS cases across the globe will increase from 222,801 in 2015 to 376,674 in 2040, representing an increase of 69%. This increase is predominantly due to ageing of the population, particularly among developing nations.
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What was your first ALS symptom?

Initial Symptoms of ALS

Bulbar onset usually affects voice and swallowing first. The majority of ALS patients have limb onset. For these individuals, early symptoms may include dropping things, tripping, fatigue of the arms and legs, slurred speech and muscle cramps and twitches.
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Does ALS cause aphasia?

Patients with motor neuron disease (MND) and ALS also exhibit language dysfunction, including aphasic symptoms, such as Broca's aphasia, due to frontal lobe deterioration [7–11].
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