Cognitive Effects of Lou Gehrig's Disease

Lou Gehrig's disease, or amyotropic lateral sclerosis (ALS), is "a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord resulting in muscle weakness and atrophy," according to the ALS Association. The disease is fatal.

History

• Health care professionals largely discounted the idea that ALS might contribute to cognitive dysfunction for many years, though a connection between ALS and cognitive problems was observed in some cases, which were considered rare, as far back as the 1800s.

Impact Varies

• Many ALS patients will not see cognitive effects, and some that do will experience only mild changes. However, according to the ALS Association, some ALS sufferers will see a "marked alteration in reasoning and social function" that will accompany the loss of motor function typical of the disease.

FTLD

• ALS patients are more likely to have frontotemporal lobar dementia (FTLD), a progressive condition that affects the brain and can alter behavior, personality and language skills, according to studies cited by the ALS Association.

Memory

• Studies suggest that memory dysfunction is among the cognitive abilities sometimes impacted by ALS.

Survival

• ALS sufferers who also have cognitive impairment have shorter survival spans, according to the ALS Association, though the reasons are not yet clear. Among the possible reasons is that patients with cognitive issues do not follow treatment recommendations closely.