Depression and risk of cognitive dysfunctions in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is not only a motor disorder: More than 50% of patients have cognitive dysfunctions over the course of the disease. At the same time, mood disorders may also occur in ALS patients following diagnosis due to the fatal prognosis; however, little data are available on any depression beforehand. Starting from these considerations, the aim of our study was to investigate the occurrence of depression in Italian ALS patients prior to diagnosis, evaluating its prevalence in the subjects who have developed cognitive dysfunctions and in those who did not.