ALS-Podcast #52: Kognition, Verhalten und Sprache bei der ALS mit Prof. Dr. Johannes Prudlo

In amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), some patients experience changes in personality and behavior, as well as impairments in cognition and language. Severe impairment of behavior and cognition is referred to as frontotemporal dementia (FTD). A pronounced impairment of language may lead to a diagnosis of primary progressive aphasia (PPA). Professor Dr. Johannes Prudlo, a neurologist at the ALS outpatient clinic of Rostock University Medical Center and at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, has specialized in researching FTD in connection with ALS for many years. In this ALS podcast, he discusses the symptoms and anatomical basis of FTD and PPA, as well as the challenges and consequences arising from impairments in behavior, cognition, and language. The following questions were addressed: 01:30 Personal experiences with the connection between ALS and FTD 04:40 Anatomical and functional connection between ALS and FTD 08:00 Functional unity of voluntary motor control with cognition and behavior (“connectome”) 10:30 Neuropsychological examination in ALS at the ALS outpatient clinic of Rostock University Medical Center 14:00 Clarification of terms cognition, memory impairment, and dysexecutive syndrome 17:00 Difference between Alzheimer's disease and FTD 22:30 Social cognition – the ability to empathize with another person's thoughts 24:00 Forms of language impairment in ALS – differentiation from speech disorders 28:40 Clarification of the term PPA 33:00 Structural similarities (“TDP-43 pathology”) of ALS, FTD, and PPA 38:00 Variants of PPA: non-fluent (Agrammatic, speech-apractic) variant, semantic variant, and right temporal variant 49:00 Behavioral disturbances (apathy, irritability, disinhibition), behavioral (bv) FTD 51:00 Symptoms of bvFTD 58:00 Medications for alleviating FTD symptoms 01:01:00 Individual decision-making regarding tube feeding (PEG) and non-invasive ventilation (NIV) in FTD 01:06:00 Research on FTD using diagnostic imaging and morphological research The interview with Prof. Dr. Johannes Prudlo was conducted with Prof. Dr. Thomas Meyer – neurologist and head of the ALS outpatient clinic at Charité. Selected Publications https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38861... https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38306... https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35866... https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27488... About the ALS Podcast The ALS Podcast is supported and made possible by the Boris Canessa ALS Foundation (https://canessa-als-stiftung.org) About the Charité ALS Clinic The Charité ALS Clinic website provides a comprehensive overview of the diagnosis, treatment, and care of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), as well as current news on ALS: https://www.als-charite.de.