Rinsho Shinkeigaku (Clinical Neurology)

Original Article

Assessing frontal lobe function in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis by Frontal Assessment Battery

Tatsuhiro Terada, M.D.1)2), Tomokazu Obi, M.D.1), Hiroaki Miyajima, M.D.2) and Kouichi Mizoguchi, M.D.1)

1)Department of Neurology, Shizuoka Institute of Epilepsy and Neurological Disorders2)First Department of Medicine, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine

Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) is short neuropsychological battery for the bed side screening of frontal lobe function. Several studies have indicated that frontal lobe dysfunction is the main neuropsychological feature in Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We examined frontal lobe function in patients with ALS and in age-matched normal subjects by using the FAB. We examined 24 patients with sporadic ALS aged 66.0±10.1 years, with a mean disease duration of 2.0±0.7 years, a Mini-Mental State Examination score of ≥24, a normal self-rating depression score, no dyspnea, and no or only slight disturbances in speech, cutting food, and handling utensils on the ALS Functional Rating Scale. Total FAB score, similarity score, and lexical fluency score were significantly lower in ALS patients. Total FAB score did not correlate with age, disease duration, ALS Functional Rating Scale, spirometry, or blood gas analyses. These results suggest frontal lobe dysfunction in ALS patients.
Full Text of this Article in Japanese PDF (353K)

(CLINICA NEUROL, 50: 379|384, 2010)
key words: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB), frontal lobe function

(Received: 19-Aug-09)