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Summary Background There is an urgent unmet need for new therapies in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In a clinical study with healthy volunteers, levosimendan, a calcium sensitiser, was shown to improve neuromechanical efficiency and contractile function of the human diaphragm. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of oral levosimendan in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, with a focus on respiratory function. Methods The REFALS study is a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial at 99 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis specialist centres in 14 countries worldwide. People with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis were eligible for participation if they were at least 18 years of age and had a sitting slow vital capacity (SVC) of 60–90% predicted. Participants were randomly assigned (2:1) by interactive web-response system to receive either levosimendan or placebo. The capsules for oral administration were identical in appearance to maintain blinding of participants and investigators. The primary endpoint was the change from baseline in supine SVC at 12 weeks, assessed as the percentage of predicted normal sitting SVC. The key secondary endpoint was the combined assessment of function and survival (CAFS) up to 48 weeks. Analyses were done in the intention-to-treat population, comprising all participants who were randomly assigned. This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03505021) and has been completed. An extension study (REFALS-ES; NCT03948178 ) has also been completed, but will be reported separately. Findings Between June 21, 2018, and June 28, 2019, 871 people were screened for the study, of whom 496 were randomly assigned either levosimendan (n=329) or placebo (n=167). Participants were followed up between June 27, 2018 and June 26, 2020, for a median duration of 50·1 (IQR 37·5–51·1) weeks. The median duration of treatment was 47·9 (IQR 26·4–48·1) weeks. Change from baseline in supine SVC at 12 weeks was –6·73% with levosimendan and –6·99% with placebo, with no significant difference between the treatments (estimated treatment difference 0·26%, 95% CI –2·03 to 2·55, p=0·83). Similarly, at week 48, CAFS did not differ between treatment groups (least squares mean change from baseline 10·69, 95% CI –15·74 to 37·12; nominal p value=0·43). The most frequent adverse events were increased heart rate (106 [33%] of 326 receiving levosimendan vs 12 [7%] of 166 receiving placebo), fall (85 [26%] vs 48 [29%]), headache (93 [29%] vs 36 [22%]), and dyspnoea (59 [18%] vs 32 [19%]). 33 (10%) participants allocated levosimendan and 20 (12%) assigned placebo died during the trial, mainly due to respiratory failure or progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Interpretation Levosimendan was not superior to placebo in maintaining respiratory function in a broad population with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Although levosimendan was generally well tolerated, increased heart rate and headache occurred more frequently with levosimendan than with placebo. The possibility of a clinically relevant subgroup of responsive individuals requires further evaluation. Funding Orion Corporation.

Objective: To investigate the role of arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis parameters (blood carbon dioxide, pCO2; oxygen, pO2; carbonate, HCO3−; standard base excess, SBE) in monitoring respiratory f...

Objectives: To investigate the extent of synaptic loss, and the contribution of gray matter (GM) inflammation and demyelination to synaptic loss, in multiple sclerosis (MS) brain tissue. Methods: This study was performed on two different post-mortem series of MS and control brains, including deep GM and cortical GM. MS brain samples had been specifically selected for the presence of active demyelinating GM lesions. Over 1,000,000 individual synapses were identified and counted using confocal microscopy, and further characterized as glutamatergic/GABAergic. Synaptic counts were also correlated with neuronal/axonal loss. Results: Important synaptic loss was observed in active demyelinating GM lesions (−58.9%), while in chronic inactive GM lesions, synaptic density was only mildly reduced compared to adjacent non-lesional gray matter (NLGM) (−12.6%). Synaptic loss equally affected glutamatergic and GABAergic synapses. Diffuse synaptic loss was observed in MS NLGM compared to control GM (−21.2% overall). Conclusion: This study provides evidence, in MS brain tissue, of acute synaptic damage/loss during active GM inflammatory demyelination and of synaptic reorganization in chronically demyelinated GM, affecting equally glutamatergic and GABAergic synapses. Furthermore, this study provides a strong indication of widespread synaptic loss in MS NLGM also independently from focal GM demyelination.

Background 5–10% of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients presented a positive family history (fALS). More than 30 genes have been identified in association with ALS/frontotemporal dementia (FTD) spectrum, with four major genes accounting for 60–70% of fALS. In this paper, we aimed to assess the contribution to the pathogenesis of major and rare ALS/FTD genes in ALS patients. Methods We analyzed ALS and ALS/FTD associated genes by direct sequencing or next-generation sequencing multigene panels in ALS patients. Results Genetic abnormalities in ALS major genes included repeated expansions of hexanucleotide in C9orf72 gene (7.3%), mutations in SOD1 (4.9%), FUS (2.1%), and TARDBP (2.4%), whereas variants in rare ALS/FTD genes affected 15.5% of subjects overall, most frequently involving SQSTM1 (3.4%), and CHMP2B (1.9%). We found clustering of variants in ALS major genes in patients with a family history for “pure” ALS, while ALS/FTD related genes mainly occurred in patients with a family history for other neurodegenerative diseases (dementia and/or parkinsonism). Conclusions Our data support the presence of two different genetic components underlying ALS pathogenesis, related to the presence of a family history for ALS or other neurodegenerative diseases. Thus, family history may help in optimizing the genetic screening protocol to be applied.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a relentlessly progressive degenerative disease of upper and lower motor neurons. Approximately 15% of patients display clinical features consistent with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and 35% display milder degrees of cognitive and behavioural impairment at some stage during their illness.1 Several genes have been reported to cause both ALS and FTD. Nevertheless, it remains unclear why some patients with ALS develop cognitive impairment, while other cases, often within the same family, remain unaffected. The GBA gene (OMIM *606463) encodes glucocerebrosidase (GCase), a lysosomal enzyme that converts glucocerebroside into glucose and ceramide. Heterozygous GBA mutations increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and the risk of cognitive impairment in patients with PD.2 It is increasingly recognised that variants in genes causing Mendelian neurodegenerative diseases may exhibit pleiotropic effects and impact the phenotypic heterogeneity of those disorders. Moreover, lysosomal dysfunction has recently been associated with both Dementia with Lewy Bodies and FTD spectrum (online supplemental table 1). Based on this, we postulated that GBA variants may influence the cognitive status of patients with ALS. ### Supplementary data [jnnp-2021-327426supp001.pdf] We examined the GBA variants’ association with the risk of cognitive impairment in 751 patients with ALS from the population-based Piemonte and Valle d’Aosta Register for ALS that had undergone both a detailed neuropsychological evaluation and a whole-genome sequencing screening.3 Patients were classified as ALS with normal cognitive function (ALS-CN), ALS-FTD and ALS with intermediate cognitive deficits. The characteristics of the study population and a detailed description of neuropsychological testing and genetic screening are reported in online supplementarl materials in the Methods section. A mutational screening of GBA exonic variants was performed and their frequencies were compared with an internal control cohort (see online supplemental methods, Subjects). To assess whether pathogenic rare variants (minor allele frequency

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The purpose was to assess the prognostic role of neck muscle weakness at diagnosis in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients with respect to survival and respiratory impairment. METHODS A retrospective cohort study was conducted. All ALS patients seen in the Turin ALS Centre from 2007 to 2014 were included. Muscle strength at diagnosis was evaluated using the Medical Research Council (MRC) scale. Survival was considered as the time from diagnosis to death or tracheostomy; time to respiratory impairment was considered as the interval from diagnosis to the first event amongst an ALS Functional Rating Scale revised item 10

ObjectiveTo identify the metabolic changes related to the various levels of cognitive deficits in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) using 18F-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG-PET) imaging.Methods274 ALS patients underwent neuropsychological assessment and brain 18F-FDG-PET at diagnosis. According to the criteria published in 2017, cognitive status was classified as ALS with normal cognition (ALS-Cn, n=132), ALS with behavioural impairment (ALS-Bi, n=66), ALS with cognitive impairment (ALS-Ci, n=30), ALS with cognitive and behavioural impairment (ALS-Cbi, n=26), ALS with frontotemporal dementia (ALS–FTD, n=20). We compared each group displaying some degree of cognitive and/or behavioural impairment to ALS-Cn patients, including age at PET, sex and ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised as covariates.ResultsWe identified frontal lobe relative hypometabolism in cognitively impaired patients that resulted more extensive and significant across the continuum from ALS-Ci, through ALS-Cbi, to ALS–FTD. ALS–FTD patients also showed cerebellar relative hypermetabolism. ALS-Bi patients did not show any difference compared with ALS-Cn.ConclusionsThese data support the concept that patients with cognitive impairment have a more widespread neurodegenerative process compared with patients with a pure motor disease: the more severe the cognitive impairment, the more diffuse the metabolic changes. Otherwise, metabolic changes related to pure behavioural impairment need further characterisation.

ObjectiveTo determine whether the neuropsychological profiles of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) with (ALSC9+) and without (ALSC9−) C9orf72 expansion are different, we administered a battery of neuropsychological tests to 741 patients with ALS (68 ALSC9+ and 673 ALSC9−) and 129 controls.MethodsThe study population includes 741 patients with ALS who were consecutively diagnosed at the Turin ALS expert center in the 2010–2018 period and who underwent both cognitive/behavioral and genetic testing. Patients' neuropsychological patterns were compared (1) at the same degree of cognitive and behavioral deficit according to the revised ALS–Frontotemporal Dementia Consensus Criteria and (2) at the same level of motor impairment according to the King staging system.ResultsDespite being about 7 years younger, ALSC9+ patients had significantly lower scores in tests exploring executive function and verbal memory both when classified as cognitively normal and when diagnosed in the intermediate cognitive categories. Considering the clinical perspective, ALSC9+ patients showed significantly lower scores compared to ALSC9− patients at King stage 1 and 3 in almost all the examined neuropsychological domains; at King stage 2, ALSC9+ patients were more severely affected only in the verbal memory domain. Behavioral function was comparably impaired in the 2 cohorts.ConclusionsALSC9+ patients show a different neuropsychological profile compared to ALSC9− patients, being more impaired in executive functions and verbal memory domains at all King stages. Verbal memory emerged as a particularly vulnerable function in ALSC9+, with worse performances even when patients were still classified as cognitively normal.

We describe the telemedicine experience of an Italian ALS tertiary Center during COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 144 visits were scheduled between 6th March and 6th April 2020. These mostly consisted of neurological or psychological visits (139, 96.5%). One hundred thirty-nine (96.5%) visits were performed as telemedicine and mostly via phone call (112, 80.6%). Three (2.1%) visits were considered as urgent and maintained as outpatient care. Additionally, patients were still able to telephone, being put through directly to their neurologists. Many requests of contact were addressed at getting information about the scheduled visits or examinations (45, 43.3%). Globally, patients and caregivers were satisfied with the telemedicine service. However, the majority (85, 65.9%) would prefer a face-to-face visit. In conclusion, telemedicine could be considered a good complement to face-to-face care, even after social restrictions have been eased.

Background and purpose The aim was to assess the frequency of plateaus in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) progression using a large population-based cohort. Methods Data from the Piemonte and Valle d'Aosta ALS register were used. Patients who were diagnosed between 2007 and 2014 were considered. The follow-up period was extended until 31 December 2018. Visits after tracheostomy were excluded. A plateau was defined as a stable Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale revised (ALSFRSr) score lasting at least 6, 12 or 18 months. Results Out of 1214 patients, 200 (16.5%), 93 (7.7%) and 52 (4.3%) showed at least one plateau lasting a minimum of 6, 12 and 18 months, respectively. Plateaus occurred mostly at high ALSFRSr scores and were more frequent during the initial phases of the disease course. Spinal onset [odds ratio (OR) 1.83, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.16-2.95, P value 0.01) and predominant upper motor neuron phenotype (OR 2.18, 95% CI 1.36-3.48, P value 0.001) conferred a higher risk for the subsequent appearance of plateaus; conversely, older age at diagnosis (OR 0.25, 95% CI 0.11-0.54, P value 0.002 for >75 year age class) reduced this risk. Conclusions Plateaus in ALS progression lasting at least 6 months appear in about one out of six patients and could last even 12, 18 months or more in a smaller subgroup of patients. Plateau occurrence should not lead the neurologist to automatically reconsider ALS diagnosis and should be considered for future clinical trial design.

Since its first description by Charcot, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has been classified as a single neurodegenerative disease involving motor neurons. More recently, however, it has become clear that ALS is pleiotropic and its phenotype could vary depending on several factors: age of onset, prevalent damage to the upper (UMN) or the lower motor neuron, body region mostly affected, progression rate and presence of non-motor symptoms, the most frequent being cognitive impairment.1 As a consequence, different phenotypes have been described.2 It remains unclear whether these presentations should be considered as distinct clinical entities or as variants of the same disease.3 More importantly, we do not know if different aetiologies justify this variability.3 Despite these uncertainties, we approach clinical trials by administering the same treatment to all patients with ALS.3 Spatial epidemiology could give some clues on aetiology by identifying clusters and subsequently seeking for causative genetic or environmental factors. Previously, we analysed the spatial distribution of a large ALS cohort in Northwestern Italy. Patients resulted to be homogeneously distributed, suggesting either that a single environmental factor was evenly distributed or that multiple factors acted on distinct subgroups, the latter being the more likely.4 Moving from the hypothesis that aetiology could vary according to phenotypes, here we performed a spatial analysis of ALS cases stratified according to their clinical presentation. Data from the Piemonte and Valle d’Aosta ALS Register were used.4 All patients with ALS diagnosed between 2007 and 2014 and who were resident in Piemonte at the time of diagnosis were included. The cluster analysis was conducted considering municipalities; …

ObjectiveTo assess the determinants of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) phenotypes in a population-based cohort.MethodsThe study population included 2,839 patients with ALS diagnosed in Piemonte, Italy (1995–2015). Patients were classified according to motor (classic, bulbar, flail arm, flail leg, predominantly upper motor neuron [PUMN], respiratory) and cognitive phenotypes (normal, ALS with cognitive impairment [ALSci], ALS with behavioral impairment [ALSbi], ALSci and ALSbi combined [ALScbi], ALS–frontotemporal dementia [FTD]). Binary logistic regression analysis was adjusted for sex, age, and genetics.ResultsBulbar phenotype correlated with older age (p < 0.0001), women were more affected than men at increasing age (p < 0.0001), classic with younger age (p = 0.029), men were more affected than women at increasing age (p < 0.0001), PUMN with younger age (p < 0.0001), flail arm with male sex (p < 0.0001) and younger age (p = 0.04), flail leg with male sex with increasing age (p = 0.008), and respiratory with male sex (p < 0.0001). C9orf72 expansions correlated with bulbar phenotype (p < 0.0001), and were less frequent in PUMN (p = 0.041); SOD1 mutations correlated with flail leg phenotype (p < 0.0001), and were less frequent in bulbar (p < 0.0001). ALS-FTD correlated with C9orf72 (p < 0.0001) and bulbar phenotype (p = 0.008), ALScbi with PUMN (p = 0.014), and ALSci with older age (p = 0.008).ConclusionsOur data suggest that the spatial–temporal combination of motor and cognitive events leading to the onset and progression of ALS is characterized by a differential susceptibility to the pathologic process of motor and prefrontal cortices and lower motor neurons, and is influenced by age, sex, and gene variants. The identification of those factors that regulate ALS phenotype will allow us to reclassify patients into pathologically homogenous subgroups, responsive to targeted personalized therapies.

Background Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an adult-onset neurodegenerative disease progressively affecting upper and lower motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. Mean life expectancy is three to five years, with paralysis of muscles, respiratory failure and loss of vital functions being the common causes of death. Clinical manifestations of ALS are heterogeneous due to the mix of anatomic regions involvement and the variability in disease course; consequently, diagnosis and prognosis at the level of individual patient is really challenging. Prediction of ALS progression and stratification of patients into meaningful subgroups have been long-standing interests to clinical practice, research and drug development. Methods We developed a Dynamic Bayesian Network (DBN) model on more than 4500 ALS patients included in the Pooled Resource Open-Access ALS Clinical Trials Database (PRO-ACT), in order to detect probabilistic relationships among clinical variables and identify risk factors related to survival and loss of vital functions. Furthermore, the DBN was used to simulate the temporal evolution of an ALS cohort predicting survival and the time to impairment of vital functions (communication, swallowing, gait and respiration). A first attempt to stratify patients by risk factors and simulate the progression of ALS subgroups was also implemented. Results The DBN model provided the prediction of ALS most probable trajectories over time in terms of important clinical outcomes, including survival and loss of autonomy in functional domains. Furthermore, it allowed the identification of biomarkers related to patients’ clinical status as well as vital functions, and unrevealed their probabilistic relationships. For instance, DBN found that bicarbonate and calcium levels influence survival time; moreover, the model evidenced dependencies over time among phosphorus level, movement impairment and creatinine. Finally, our model provided a tool to stratify patients into subgroups of different prognosis studying the effect of specific variables, or combinations of them, on either survival time or time to loss of autonomy in specific functional domains. Conclusions The analysis of the risk factors and the simulation allowed by our DBN model might enable better support for ALS prognosis as well as a deeper insight into disease manifestations, in a context of a personalized medicine approach. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12859-019-2692-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

SUMMARYBackgroundThe disease entity known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is now known to represent a collection of overlapping syndromes. A better understanding of this heterogeneity and the ability to distinguish ALS subtypes would improve the clinical care of patients and enhance our understanding of the disease. Subtype profiles could be incorporated into the clinical trial design to improve our ability to detect a therapeutic effect. A variety of classification systems have been proposed over the years based on empirical observations, but it is unclear to what extent they genuinely reflect ALS population substructure.MethodsWe applied machine learning algorithms to a prospective, population-based cohort consisting of 2,858 Italian patients diagnosed with ALS for whom detailed clinical phenotype data were available. We replicated our findings in an independent population-based cohort of 1,097 Italian ALS patients.FindingsWe found that semi-supervised machine learning based on UMAP applied to the output of a multi-layered perceptron neural network produced the optimum clustering of the ALS patients in the discovery cohort. These clusters roughly corresponded to the six clinical subtypes defined by the Chiò classification system (bulbar ALS, respiratory ALS, flail arm ALS, classical ALS, pyramidal ALS, and flail leg ALS). The same clusters were identified in the replication cohort. A supervised learning approach based on ensemble learning identified twelve clinical parameters that predicted ALS clinical subtype with high accuracy (area under the curve = 0·94).InterpretationOur data-driven study provides insight into the ALS population’s substructure and demonstrates that the Chiò classification system robustly identifies ALS subtypes. We provide an interactive website (https://share.streamlit.io/anant-dadu/machinelearningforals/main) so that clinical researchers can predict the clinical subtype of an ALS patient based on a small number of clinical parameters.FundingNational Institute on Aging and the Italian Ministry of Health.RESEARCH IN CONTEXTEvidence before this studyWe searched PubMed for articles published in English from database inception until January 5, 2021, about the use of machine learning and the identification of clinical subtypes within the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) population, using the search terms “machine learning”, AND “classification”, AND “amyotrophic lateral sclerosis”. This inquiry identified twenty-nine studies. Most previous studies used machine learning to diagnose ALS (based on gait, imaging, electromyography, gene expression, proteomic, and metabolomic data) or improve brain-computer interfaces. One study used machine learning algorithms to stratify ALS postmortem cortex samples into molecular subtypes based on transcriptome data. Kueffner and colleagues crowdsourced the development of machine learning algorithms to approximately thirty teams to obtain a consensus in an attempt to identify ALS patients subpopulation. In addition to clinical trial information in the PRO-ACT database (www.ALSdatabase.org), this effort used data from the Piedmont and Valle d’Aosta Registry for ALS (PARALS). Four ALS patient categories were identified: slow progressing, fast progressing, early stage, and late stage. This approach’s clinical relevance was unclear, as all ALS patients will necessarily pass through an early and late stage of the disease.Furthermore, no attempt was made to discern which of the existing clinical classification systems, such as the El Escorial criteria, the Chiò classification system, and the King’s clinical staging system, can identify ALS subtypes. We concluded that there remained an unmet need to identify the ALS population’s substructure in a data-driven, non-empirical manner. Building on this, there was a need for a tool that reliably predicts the clinical subtype of an ALS patient. This knowledge would improve our understanding of the clinical heterogeneity associated with this fatal neurodegenerative disease.Added value of this studyThis study developed a machine learning algorithm to detect ALS patients’ clinical subtypes using clinical data collected from the 2,858 Italian ALS patients in PARALS. Ascertainment of these patients within the catchment area was near complete, meaning that the dataset truly represented the ALS population. We replicated our approach using clinical data obtained from an independent cohort of 1,097 Italian ALS patients that had also been collected in a population-based, longitudinal manner. Semi-supervised learning based on Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection (UMAP) applied to a multilayer perceptron neural network provided the optimum results based on visual inspection. The observed clusters equated to the six clinical subtypes previously defined by the Chiò classification system (bulbar ALS, respiratory ALS, flail arm ALS, classical ALS, pyramidal ALS, and flail leg ALS). Using a small number of clinical parameters, an ensemble learning approach could predict the ALS clinical subtype with high accuracy (area under the curve = 0·94).Implications of all available evidenceAdditional validation is required to determine these algorithms’ accuracy and clinical utility in assigning clinical subtypes. Nevertheless, our algorithms offer a broad insight into the clinical heterogeneity of ALS and help to determine the actual subtypes of disease that exist within this fatal neurodegenerative syndrome. The systematic identification of ALS subtypes will improve clinical care and clinical trial design.

Purpose To assess the brain metabolic correlates of the different regional extent of ALS, evaluated with the King’s staging system, using brain 18F-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose-PET (18F-FDG-PET). Methods Three hundred ninety ALS cases with King’s stages 1, 2, and 3 (n = 390), i.e., involvement of 1, 2, and 3 body regions respectively, underwent brain 18F-FDG-PET at diagnosis. King’s stage at PET was derived from ALSFRS-R and was regressed out against whole-brain metabolism in the whole sample. The full factorial design confirmed the hypothesis that differences among groups (King’s 1, King’s 2, King’s 3, and 40 healthy controls (HC)) existed overall. Comparisons among stages and between each group and HC were performed. We included age at PET and sex as covariates. Results Brain metabolism was inversely correlated with stage in medial frontal gyrus bilaterally, and right precentral and postcentral gyri. The full factorial design resulted in a significant main effect of groups. There was no significant difference between stages 1 and 2. Comparing stage 3 to stage 1+2, a significant relative hypometabolism was highlighted in the former in the left precentral and medial frontal gyri, and in the right medial frontal, postcentral, precentral, and middle frontal gyri. The comparisons between each group and HC showed the extension of frontal metabolic changes from stage 1 to stage 3, with the larger metabolic gap between stages 2 and 3. Conclusions Our findings support the hypothesis that in ALS, the propagation of neurodegeneration follows a corticofugal, regional ordered pattern, extending from the motor cortex to posterior and anterior regions.

ALS etiology and prognostic factors are mostly unknown. Metabolic diseases and especially diabetes mellitus (DM) have been variously related to ALS. However, pieces of evidence have been variegated and often conflicting so far. This review aims to give an overview of recent contributions focusing on the relationship between DM and ALS. DM seems to reduce the risk of developing ALS if diagnosed at a younger age; conversely, when diagnosed at an older age, DM seems protective against ALS. Such a relationship was not confirmed in Asian countries where DM increases the risk of ALS independently of the age of onset. Interestingly, DM does not affect ALS prognosis, possibly weakening the potential causal relationship between the two diseases. However, since most studies are observational, it is difficult to state the exact nature of such a relationship and several hypotheses have been made. A recent study using Mendelian randomization suggested that DM is indeed protective against ALS in the European population. However, these analyses are not without limits and further evidence is needed. DM is usually the core of a larger metabolic syndrome. Thus, other metabolic changes such as dyslipidemia, body mass index, and cardiovascular diseases should be collectively considered. Finally, hypermetabolism usually found in ALS patients should be considered too since all these metabolic changes could be compensation (or the cause) of the higher energy expenditure.

Objective: To assess patients Quality of life (QoL) and the burden of their caregivers during Covid-19 pandemic and specifically the impact of two-month lockdown period. Methods: In April 2020, a total of 60 patients and 59 caregivers were administered by phone scales assessing patients��� QoL (McGill QoL Questionnaire), general health status (EQ-5D-5L), and caregiver burden (Zarit Burden Interview). The administration was repeated one month after the end of lockdown measures, with the addition of a qualitative questionnaire (COVID-QoL Questionnaire) exploring family reorganization and personal perception of lock down. Results: QoL and perceived health status did not worsen during lockdown, while caregiver burden increased (p = 0.01). Patient���s QoL and caregiver burden were inversely correlated at T1 (ZBI total score mildly correlated with Mc Gill existential subscore, p = 0.02, rho = 0.30 and with Mc Gill total score, p = 0.05, rho = 0.265). No significant correlations were found at T2. According to the COVID-QoL questionnaire, caregivers perceived lower family help compared to patients (p Conclusions: Restricted measures of lockdown period during COVID-19 pandemic did not result in a significant reduction of QoL in our cohort of ALS patients, while caregiver burden significantly increased. ALS motor impairment may have played a role in the unchanged life conditions of patients. Instead, the restriction of family help for primary caregivers could be responsible of their increased burden, reflecting the importance of a wide social support in the management of this clinical condition.

Objective: To assess amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) prevalence and to analyze how this estimate vary according to the historical depth of data collection. Methods: Data from the PARALS register have been used. Crude prevalence ratio was estimated on 31 December 2015 for the period 2015–2013 and then repeated extending the time interval by 3 years each time. For each time interval, prevalence ratio was calculated globally and stratified by sex, age at diagnosis, and phenotype. Prevalence was also calculated considering patients who underwent tracheostomy during the same study period. Results: Prevalence ratios increased proportionally to the length of the time period considered, ranging from 6 (95% CI 5.3–6.7) for a 3-year period to 12.1 (95% CI 11.1–13.1) per 100,000 population for a 21-year period. Prevalence ratio increase was inversely proportional to age at diagnosis, being null in the >85 years class and maximal in the 25–35 age class (+1700%). Among phenotypes, predominant UMN showed the highest increase (from 0.5, 95% CI 0.3–0.8, to 2.1, 95% CI 1.7 − 2.6, +320%). Discussion: Because of the variability of ALS survival, prevalence ratio strongly depends on the length of the follow-up period. A 12-year period should be sufficient to get a reliable estimate of ALS prevalence including long-survival patients.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease associated with motor neuron degeneration, muscle atrophy and paralysis. To date, multiple panels of biomarkers have been described in ALS patients and murine models. Nevertheless, none of them has sufficient specificity and thus the molecular signature for ALS prognosis and progression remains to be elucidated. Here we overcome this limitation through a longitudinal study, analyzing serum levels of circulating miRNAs, stable molecules that are recently used as promising biomarkers for many types of human disorders, in ALS patients during the progression of the pathology. We performed next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis and absolute RT quantification of serum samples of ALS patients and healthy controls. The expression levels of five selected miRNAs were quantitatively analyzed during disease progression in each patient and we demonstrated that high levels of miR-206, miR-133a and miR-151a-5p can predict a slower clinical decline of patient functionality. In particular, we found that miR-206 and miR-151a-5p serum levels were significantly up-regulated at the mild stage of ALS pathology, to decrease in the following moderate and severe stages, whereas the expression levels of miR-133a and miR-199a-5p remained low throughout the course of the disease, showing a diagnostic significance in moderate and severe stages for miR-133a and in mild and terminal ones for miR-199a-5p. Moreover, we found that miR-423–3p and 151a-5p were significantly downregulated respectively in mild and terminal stages of the disease. These data suggest that these miRNAs represent potential prognostic markers for ALS disease.

Cervical spondylogenic myelopathy (CSM) represents a common differential diagnosis for spinal onset Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Identifying occurrence of ALS in patients with CSM may be challenging. We evaluated the accuracy of Awaji criteria in the diagnosis of ALS in a cohort of patients with CSM. We screened all patients attending Turin ALS Center during the 2006–2018 period. We selected only patients for whom cervical cord MRI showed radiological signs of CSM. All patients underwent electromyography (EMG), and Awaji criteria were used for diagnosis of clinically probable ALS. All patients were followed up clinically for at least 6 months, and ALS diagnosis was eventually confirmed according to El-Escorial revised criteria, based on disease progression. Of 2,059 patients screened, in 42 cases, MRI showed signs of CSM; CSM incidence and prevalence risks were 0.16 and 2.04%, respectively. Based on clinical progression, 72.7% of patients were diagnosed as CSM and 27.3% as CSM + ALS. At EMG 6 (18.2%) patients fulfilled the criteria for ALS, 5 of them (83.3%) during clinical follow-up were diagnosed as clinical definite ALS + CSM. Accuracy of Awaji criteria in diagnosing ALS was good (AUC = 0.757, p = 0.03). Sensitivity and specificity of Awaji criteria were, respectively, 55.6 and 95.8%. Positive predictive value was 83.3%, while negative predictive value was 85.2%. CSM-ALS comorbidity is a relatively common problem in clinical practice. To better choose patients who could benefit from surgery, EMG should be performed in CSM patients, due to its good accuracy in recognizing ALS.

Introduction The burden of non-motor symptoms is a major determinant of quality of life and outcome in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and has profound negative effect also on caregivers. Areas covered Non-motor symptoms in ALS include cognitive impairment, neurobehavioral symptoms, depression and anxiety, suicidal ideation, pain, disordered sleep, fatigue, weight loss and reduced appetite, and autonomic dysfunctions. This review summarizes the measures used for the assessment of non-motor symptoms and their properties and recaps the frequency and progression of these symptoms along the course of ALS. Expert opinion Non-motor symptoms in ALS represent a major component of the disease and span over several domains. These symptoms require a high level of medical attention and should be checked at each visit using ad hoc questionnaires and proactively treated. Several instruments assessing non-motor symptoms have been used in ALS. Specific screening questionnaires for non-motor symptoms can be used for monitoring patients during telehealth visits and for remote surveillance through sensors and apps installed on smartphones. Novel trials for non-motor symptoms treatment specifically designed for ALS are necessary to increase and refine the therapeutic armamentarium. Finally, scales assessing the most frequent and burdensome non-motor symptoms should be included in clinical trials.

Objective: To assess the frequency and predictors of plateaus in ALS progression as assessed by the Medical Research Council (MRC) Scale. Methods: All patients attending the ALS Center of Turin, with a diagnosis between 2007 and 2014 were considered. At each visit, muscle strength was evaluated in several muscles and assessed using the MRC scale. Concomitant ALSFRSr scores were retrieved. Plateaus were calculated as a stable overall MRC or ALSFRSr score lasting at least 6, 12 or 18 months. Results: According to MRC scale scores, 122 (22.8%), 71 (13.2%) and 59 (11.0%) patients experienced a plateau lasting at least 6, 12 and 18 months. ALSFRSr scores revealed similar estimates [134, (25.0%), 89 (16.6%) and 67 (12.5%), respectively]. Plateaus were more frequent at high scores and appeared a median of 24.6 months (IQR 6.7-47.7) after the diagnosis. Only the predominant upper motor neuron phenotype (OR 4.06, 95% CI 2-06-8.10, p-value

We report a case of childhood-onset ALS with a FUS gene mutation presenting cognitive impairment and a rapid clinical progression. The patient, an 11-year-old girl, presented with right distal upper limb weakness and mild intellectual disability at the Griffith Mental Development Scales. The disease rapidly worsened and the patient became tetraplegic and bed-ridden 2 years after symptom onset. A c.1509_1510delAG mutation in exon 14 of the FUS gene was detected, resulting in a predicted truncated protein, p.G504Wfs*12, lacking the nuclear localization signal. The levels of FUS mRNA in the proband were not significantly different compared to controls. Western immunoblot analysis showed that one antibody (500-526) detected in the proband ~50% of the amount of FUS protein compared to controls, while 3 other antibodies (2-27, 400-450 and FUS C-terminal), which recognize both wild type and the mutated FUS, detected 60% to 75% of the amount of the protein. These findings indicate that p.G504Wfs*12 FUS is more prone to undergo post-translational modification respect to wild type FUS.

Background Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a universally fatal neurodegenerative disease. ALS is determined by gene-environment interactions and improved understanding of these interactions may lead to effective personalised medicine. The role of physical exercise in the development of ALS is currently controversial. Methods First, we dissected the exercise-ALS relationship in a series of two-sample Mendelian randomisation (MR) experiments. Next we tested for enrichment of ALS genetic risk within exercise-associated transcriptome changes. Finally, we applied a validated physical activity questionnaire in a small cohort of genetically selected ALS patients. Findings We present MR evidence supporting a causal relationship between genetic liability to frequent and strenuous leisure-time exercise and ALS using a liberal instrument (multiplicative random effects IVW, p=0.01). Transcriptomic analysis revealed that genes with altered expression in response to acute exercise are enriched with known ALS risk genes (permutation test, p=0.013) including C9ORF72, and with ALS-associated rare variants of uncertain significance. Questionnaire evidence revealed that age of onset is inversely proportional to historical physical activity for C9ORF72-ALS (Cox proportional hazards model, Wald test p=0.007, likelihood ratio test p=0.01, concordance=74%) but not for non-C9ORF72-ALS. Variability in average physical activity was lower in C9ORF72-ALS compared to both non-C9ORF72-ALS (F-test, p=0.002) and neurologically normal controls (F-test, p=0.049) which is consistent with a homogeneous effect of physical activity in all C9ORF72-ALS patients. Interpretation Our MR approach suggests a positive causal relationship between ALS and physical exercise. Exercise is likely to cause motor neuron injury only in patients with a risk-genotype. Consistent with this we have shown that ALS risk genes are activated in response to exercise. In particular, we propose that G4C2-repeat expansion of C9ORF72 predisposes to exercise-induced ALS. Funding We acknowledge support from the Wellcome Trust (JCK, 216596/Z/19/Z), NIHR (PJS, NF-SI-0617-10077; IS-BRC-1215-20017) and NIH (MPS, CEGS 5P50HG00773504, 1P50HL083800, 1R01HL101388, 1R01-HL122939, S10OD025212, P30DK116074, and UM1HG009442).

Background: An ongoing longitudinal study in six European sites includes a 3-monthly assessment of forced vital capacity (FVC), slow vital capacity (SVC), peak cough flow (PCF), and Sniff nasal inspiratory pressure (SNIP). The aim of this interim analysis was to assess the potential for SNIP to be a surrogate for aerosol generating procedures given COVID-19 related restrictions. Methods: This was a prospective observational study. Patients attending six study sites with King's Stage 2 or 3 ALS completed baseline FVC/SVC/SNIP/PCF and repeated assessments 3 monthly. Data were collected from March 2018 to March 2020, after which a COVID-19 related study suspension was imposed. Correlations between the measures were calculated. A Bayesian multiple outcomes random-effects model was constructed to investigate rates of decline across measures. Results: In total, 270 cases and 828 assessments were included (Mean age 65.2 ± 15.4 years; 32.6% Female; 60% Kings stage 2; 81.1% spinal onset). FVC and SVC were the most closely correlated outcomes (0.95). SNIP showed the least correlation with other metrics 0.53 (FVC), 0.54 (SVC), 0.60 (PCF). All four measures significantly declined over time. SNIP in the bulbar onset group showed the fastest rate of decline. Discussion: SNIP was not well correlated with FVC and SVC, probably because it examines a different aspect of respiratory function. Respiratory measures declined over time, but differentially according to the site of onset. SNIP is not a surrogate for FVC and SVC, but is a complementary measure, declining linearly and differentiating spinal and bulbar onset patients.

Objective: To evaluate how Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) patients��� mortality rates change, based on different levels of forced vital capacity (FVC) and disease duration, providing a scheme of mortality rates of a real population of ALS patients to improve the design of future RCTs. Methods: One random spirometry for each ALS patient was selected during four time intervals from disease onset: (1) ���12 months; (2) ���18 months; (3) ���24 months; (4) ���36 months. Date of spirometry corresponded to date of trial entry, while time interval onset-spirometry to disease duration at enrollment. Mortality rates from inclusion were computed at different time intervals. Based on progression rates, patients were stratified in slow, intermediate and fast progressors. Survival from recruitment was calculated depending on FVC, disease duration and progression rate. Results: We included 659 patients in group 1, 888 in group 2, 1019 in group 3 and 1102 in group 4. Mortality rates were higher in each group at reducing the FVC cutoff used for recruitment (p p Conclusions: This is a simple model for setting eligibility criteria, based on mortality rates of patients depending on FVC and disease duration, to select the best population for RCTs, tailored to trials��� primary endpoints and duration.

Objective. Up to 50% of patients affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) show behavioral changes within the spectrum of frontotemporal degeneration (FTD). Behavioral dysfunctions in ALS patients negatively impact on management, prognosis and survival. It is, thus, crucial to develop ALS-specific psychometric tools for early detecting alterations in behavior. This study aimed at investigating psychometric properties and feasibility of the Beaumont Behavioral Impairment (BBI), a proxy-report questionnaire designed to screen for FTD-like behavioral symptoms in ALS patients.Methods. Ninety ALS patients were compared to 100 healthy participants (HPs) on the BBI. ALS patients underwent clinical, cognitive, mood/anxiety and further behavioral (Frontal System Behavior Scale, FrSBe; Frontal Behavioral Inventory, FBI) evaluation. Validity, reliability, sensitivity and specificity of the BBI were assessed.Results. The BBI was significantly related to FrSBe and FBI scores, whereas not to other measures. A Principal Component Analysis yielded a mono-component structure; Cronbach's α was .93. The BBI proved to be sensitive to changes in behavior as well as to discriminate between different degrees of dysfunction. By addressing the FrSBe as the gold standard, the BBI reached optimal sensitivity (85.7%) and specificity (79.7%) at a cutoff of 10.5. Moreover, the BBI proved to be more accurate than the FrSBe and the FBI in clinical classifications.Conclusion. The BBI showed high internal consistency, as well as good construct, convergent and divergent validity. Its clinical usability is encouraged in ALS patients as being able to sensitively and specifically detect FTD-like behavioral changes.

Background and Aim: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neuromuscular progressive disorder, characterized by limb and bulbar muscle wasting and weakness. 30% of patients present a bulbar onset, while 70% a spinal outbreak, although most of them develop bulbar impairment later on. Due to the lack of an early biomarker of bulbar involvement, we chose to evaluate the role of stapedial reflex (SR) in order to predict preclinical bulbar impairment in ALS. Materials and Methods: We enrolled 36 ALS patients. We assessed revised-ALS functional-rating-scale and SR for a total of 4 visits. We established the presence of SR, acoustic reflex latency test (ARLT), and SRs Decay. Patients who had not develop bulbar signs at fourth visit continued follow-up up to 15 months. Data were analyzed by using Mann-Whitney U test, Friedman test, and Cox regression analysis. Results: We observed that SRs Decay at 500 and 1,000 Hz is the first parameter of SR to get altered in all ALS patients before the development of bulbar impairment. Twenty-eight patients developed bulbar impairment during the study. We highlighted a correlation between the progression rate of disease and both time of SRs Decay alteration and time of bulbar impairment from disease onset. Four patients who did not develop bulbar impairment had a progression rate lower than the other ones (p < 0.05). Discussion and Conclusions: This study shows that SR Decay test could be a sensitive measure for detecting pre-symptomatic bulbar involvement in ALS and could represent a simple, noninvasive, and useful biomarker of disease progression.

Hannu Laaksovirta konsortion jäsenenä. The Genomics England Research Consortium, The International ALS/FTD Genomics Consortium (iAFGC), The International FTD Genetics Consortium (IFGC), The International LBD Genomics Consortium (iLBDGC), The NYGC ALS Consortium, The PROSPECT Consortium,17 James B. Rowe,17 Luisa Benussi,18 Giuliano Binetti,18,19 Roberta Ghidoni,18 Edwin Jabbari,20,21 Coralie Viollet,22 Jonathan D. Glass,23 Andrew B. Singleton,24 Vincenzo Silani,25,26 Owen A. Ross,27 Mina Ryten,8,28,29 Ali Torkamani,30 Toshiko Tanaka,31 Luigi Ferrucci,31 Susan M. Resnick,32 We examined the role of repeat expansions in the pathogenesis of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) by analyzing whole-genome sequence data from 2,442 FTD/ALS patients, 2,599 Lewy body dementia (LBD) patients, and 3,158 neurologically healthy subjects. Pathogenic expansions (range, 40?64 CAG repeats) in the huntingtin (HTT) gene were found in three (0.12%) patients diagnosed with pure FTD/ALS syndromes but were not present in the LBD or healthy cohorts. We replicated our findings in an independent collection of 3,674 FTD/ALS patients. Postmortem evaluations of two patients revealed the classical TDP-43 pathology of FTD/ALS, as well as huntingtin-positive, ubiquitin-positive aggregates in the frontal cortex. The neostriatal atrophy that pathologically defines Huntington?s disease was absent in both cases. Our findings reveal an etiological relationship between HTT repeat expansions and FTD/ALS syndromes and indicate that genetic screening of FTD/ALS patients for HTT repeat expansions should be considered. We examined the role of repeat expansions in the pathogenesis of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) by analyzing whole-genome sequence data from 2,442 FTD/ALS patients, 2,599 Lewy body dementia (LBD) patients, and 3,158 neurologically healthy subjects. Pathogenic expansions (range, 40?64 CAG repeats) in the huntingtin (HTT) gene were found in three (0.12%) patients diagnosed with pure FTD/ALS syndromes but were not present in the LBD or healthy cohorts. We replicated our findings in an independent collection of 3,674 FTD/ALS patients. Postmortem evaluations of two patients revealed the classical TDP-43 pathology of FTD/ALS, as well as huntingtin-positive, ubiquitin-positive aggregates in the frontal cortex. The neostriatal atrophy that pathologically defines Huntington?s disease was absent in both cases. Our findings reveal an etiological relationship between HTT repeat expansions and FTD/ALS syndromes and indicate that genetic screening of FTD/ALS patients for HTT repeat expansions should be considered.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may directly affect sleep through immobilisation, fasciculations, muscle cramps, pain (musculoskeletal but also neuropathic) impaired swallowing function (with consequent sialorrhea, choking and saliva aspiration), or through specific sleep disorders, worsening physical and mental health and increasing the burden of the disease. The more prominent sleep disorders in patients with ALS are represented by sleep-related breathing disorders (SRBD) (45%–60%), sleep motor disorders (restless legs syndrome (RLS) and periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD), respectively, about 15% and 50%), rapid eye movement (REM) parasomnias (5%–20%), insomnia (65%, probably overestimated given that sleep could be fragmented or reduced secondary to other sleep disorders) and circadian rhythm …

(1) Background: Cognitive features of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have never been specifically analyzed according to the lateralization of motor impairment. In the present study we investigated the cognitive performances of ALS patients to describe the relationship between motor and cognitive dysfunction, according to site and side of disease onset. (2) Methods: Six-hundred and nine ALS patients underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation at diagnosis in Turin ALS Centre Tests included&mdash, mini-mental state examination (MMSE), frontal assessment battery (FAB), trail-making test A/B (TMT A-B), digit span forward and backward (digit span FW/digit span BW), letter fluency test (FAS), category fluency test (CAT), Rey auditory verbal learning test (RAVLT), Babcock story recall test (BSRT), Rey-Osterrieth complex figure test (ROCFT), Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST), Raven&rsquo, s coloured progressive matrices (CPM47). Cognitive performances of patients, grouped by side and site of onset, were statistically compared using z-scores, as appropriate. (3) Results: Bulbar patients and bilateral spinal onset patients (Sbil) were generally characterized by lower cognitive performances in most neuropsychological tests, when compared to patients with lateralized onset (right-side spinal onset, Sri and left-side spinal onset, Sle). Digit span backward and visual memory task (ROCFT) median z-scores were significantly higher, reflecting a better cognitive performance, in Sri patients when compared to bulbar/Sbil patients, while verbal memory tasks (RAVLT and BRST) resulted in significantly higher scores in Sle patients. Our results are in keeping with hemispheric functional lateralization of language and visuospatial abilities. (4) Conclusions: In ALS patients, as in other neurodegenerative diseases, we found a direct relationship between lateralized motor and cognitive features.

Background and purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate brain metabolic correlates of apathy in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Methods: A total of 165 ALS patients underwent 18F-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG-PET) and Frontal Systems Behaviour Scale (FrSBe) evaluation. FrSBe provides “before” and “after” apathy subscores, referring to premorbid and morbid conditions. “After” apathy subscore and “before-after” gap, i.e. the difference between “before” and “after” subscores, were regressed against whole-brain metabolism. Among patients with a pathological “after” apathy subscore (i.e., ≥65), we compared patients with “before” apathy subscores ≥65 and

BackgroundAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a multifactorial, multisystem motor neuron disease for which currently there is no effective treatment. There is an urgent need to identify biomarkers to tackle the disease’s complexity and help in early diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanostructures released by any cell type into body fluids. Their biophysical and biochemical characteristics vary with the parent cell’s physiological and pathological state and make them an attractive source of multidimensional data for patient classification and stratification.MethodsWe analyzed plasma-derived EVs of ALS patients (n= 106) and controls (n=96), and SOD1G93A and TDP-43Q331K mouse models of ALS. We purified plasma EVs by nickel-based isolation, characterized their EV size distribution and morphology respectively by nanotracking analysis and transmission electron microscopy, and analyzed EV markers and protein cargos by Western blot and proteomics. We used machine learning techniques to predict diagnosis and prognosis.ResultsOur procedure resulted in high-yield isolation of intact and polydisperse plasma EVs, with minimal lipoprotein contamination. There were more particles in the plasma of ALS patients and the two mouse models of ALS while their average diameter was smaller. HSP90 was differentially represented in ALS patients and mice compared to the controls. In terms of disease progression, the levels of cyclophilin A, with the EV size distribution, distinguished fast and slow disease progressors, suggesting a new means for patient stratification. We also measured the levels of phosphorylated TDP-43 and showed that is not an intravesicular cargo of plasma-derived EVs.ConclusionsOur analysis unmasked features in plasma EVs of ALS patients with potential straightforward clinical application. We conceived an innovative mathematical model based on machine learning which, by integrating EV size distribution data with protein cargoes, gave very high prediction rates for disease diagnosis and prognosis.

The clinical manifestations of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are variable in terms of age at disease onset, site of onset, progression of symptoms, motor neuron involvement, and the occurrence of cognitive and behavioral changes. Genetic background is a key determinant of the ALS phenotype. The mortality of the disease also varies with the ancestral origin of the affected population and environmental factors are likely to be associated with ALS at least within some cohorts. Disease heterogeneity is likely underpinned by the presence of different pathogenic mechanisms. A variety of ALS animal models can be informative about the heterogeneity of the neuropathological or genetic aspects of the disease and can support the development of new therapeutic intervention. Evolving biomarkers can contribute to the identification of differing genotypes and phenotypes, and can be used to explore whether genotypic and phenotypic differences in animal models might help to provide a better definition of the heterogeneity of ALS in humans. These include neurofilaments, peripheral blood mononuclear cells, extracellular vesicles, microRNA and imaging findings. These biomarkers might predict not only the development of the disease, but also the variability in progression, although robust validation is required. A promising area of progress in modeling the heterogeneity of human ALS is represented by the use of human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSCs)-derived motor neurons. Although the translational value of iPSCs remains unclear, this model is attractive in the perspective of replicating the heterogeneity of sporadic ALS as a first step toward a personalized medicine strategy.

We tested the Cognitive Reserve (CR) hypothesis in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), enrolling 111 patients, using education as CR proxy, 18F-FDG-PET to assess brain damage, and ECAS to measure cognition. Education was regressed out against brain metabolism, including age, sex, spinal/bulbar onset, ALSFRS-R, and ECAS as covariates. Clusters showing a significant correlation were used as seed regions in an interregional correlation analysis (IRCA) in the ALS group and in 40 controls. In the ALS group, we found a negative correlation between brain metabolism and education in the right anterior cingulate and bilateral medial frontal gyrus. In the IRCA in the ALS group, the medial frontal cluster metabolism positively correlated with that of frontotemporal regions (right > left), bilateral caudate nuclei, and right insula, and negatively correlated with that of corticospinal tracts, cerebellum, and pons. In controls, the IRCA showed significant positive correlations in the same regions but less extended. Our results agree with the CR hypothesis. The negative correlation between the medial frontal cluster and the cerebellum found only in ALS patients might reflect cerebellar compensation.

Importance During a time with the potential for novel treatment strategies, early detection of disease manifestations at an individual level in presymptomatic carriers of a hexanucleotide repeat expansion in the C9orf72 gene (preSxC9) is becoming increasingly relevant. Objectives To evaluate changes in glucose metabolism before symptom onset of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or frontotemporal dementia in preSxC9 using simultaneous fluorine 18–labeled fluorodeoxyglucose ([18F]FDG positron emission tomographic (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging as well as the mutation’s association with clinical and fluid biomarkers. Design, Setting, and Participants A prospective, case-control study enrolled 46 participants from November 30, 2015, until December 11, 2018. The study was conducted at the neuromuscular reference center of the University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. Main Outcomes and Measures Neuroimaging data were spatially normalized and analyzed at the voxel level at a height threshold of P

Introduction: To date more than 180 different mutations in the SOD1 gene have been described in ALS; some of these mutations are associated to peculiar clinical features and have contributed to the...

ObjectiveThis was a post hoc analysis of the Edaravone Phase III Study MCI186-19 (‘Study 19’) to examine the utility of clinical staging systems as end points in clinical trials in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).MethodsAmyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale—Revised item scores from Study 19 were retrospectively mapped to King’s stage and Milano-Torino staging (MiToS) stage. We assessed the percentage of patients who experienced progression in King’s and MiToS stages during Study 19. We also assessed disease progression in subgroups of patients according to baseline King’s stage.ResultsDuring double-blind treatment, the percentage of patients who experienced a progression in King’s stage was lower for edaravone (42.0%, 95% CI 30.4% to 53.6%) than placebo (55.9%, 95% CI 44.1% to 67.6%). The most pronounced effect was noted among patients who were in stage 1 and was maintained throughout open-label treatment. An analysis of a ≥2-stage progression in MiToS stage showed no difference between treatment arms during double-blind treatment, but during the open-label period, more rapid progression was noted among patients in the placebo–edaravone arm than among those in the edaravone–edaravone arm (log-rank test, pConclusionsThe King’s and MiToS staging systems provided utility in assessing clinical progression in Edaravone Study 19. These findings may support the use of staging systems as end points in ALS clinical trials and to understand the timing of benefit as measured by these scales.

Background and purpose The analysis of the spatial distribution of cases could give important cues on putative environmental causes of a disease. Our aim was to perform a spatial analysis of an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) cohort from the Piedmont and Aosta Valley ALS register (PARALS) over a 20-year period. Methods The address at the moment of diagnosis was considered for each ALS case. Municipalities' and census divisions' resident populations during the 1995-2014 period were obtained. A cluster analysis was performed adopting both Moran's index and the Kulldorff spatial scan statistic. Results A total of 2702 ALS patients were identified. An address was retrieved for 2671 (99%) patients. Moran's index was -0.01 (P value 0.83), thus revealing no clusters. SaTScan identified no statistically significant clusters. When census divisions were considered, Moran's index was 0.13 (P value 0.45); SaTScan revealed one statistically significant small cluster in the province of Alessandria. Here, 0.0099 cases were expected and three cases were observed (relative risk 304.60; 95% confidence interval 109.83-845.88, P value 0.03). Discussion Our study showed a substantial homogeneous distribution of ALS cases in Piedmont and Aosta Valley. The population-based setting and the adoption of proper statistical analyses strengthen the validity of our results. Such a finding further suggests the involvement of multiple environmental and genetic factors in ALS pathogenesis.

Chronic inflammation significantly contributes to the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative disorders. In physiological conditions, a chronic inflammatory state is prevented through the termination of the acute inflammatory response once the triggering insult is eliminated. Several mechanisms regulate the resolution of inflammation. Among these, a potent inhibitor of the pro-inflammatory NF-kB signaling known as A20 has emerged as a key player. Recent studies have shown reduced blood levels of A20 in the patients of diverse chronic inflammatory diseases. Similar results have also been demonstrated in patients of multiple sclerosis (MS), a neurodegenerative disease characterized by persisting inflammation. In the present study, we investigate whether other similar neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease (PD), Alzheimer's disease (AD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) also demonstrate deregulated levels of A20 expression as compared to healthy controls (HC) and treatment-naive MS patients. Our results confirm previous data that the A20 expression is reduced in whole blood of MS patients as compared to HC. Additionally, we demonstrate that significantly diminished A20 expression is also evident in PD patients. The dysregulation of the A20 pathway could then contribute to the persistence of inflammation in these disorders. It would thus be interesting to investigate further whether such commonly deregulated pathways between different inflammatory diseases could represent novel targets for therapy.

There is still a lack of consensus among different guidelines about the right timing for starting non-invasive mechanical ventilation (NIMV) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).1–3 The importance of spirometry as a reliable prognostic factor in ALS has been widely recognised; conversely, very few studies investigated the role of arterial blood gas analysis (ABG). With respiratory failure being the main cause of death in ALS, we aimed at investigating the role of ABG as proxy for pulmonary function tests (PFTs) in a large cohort of patients with ALS, identifying the best cut-off values for forced vital capacity (FVC%), carbon dioxide (pCO2), carbonate (HCO3-) and standard base excess (SBE) to predict NIMV starting and survival. We included 488 patients with concomitant ABGs, PFTs and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale - revised (ALSFRS-r) score, followed up in the Turin ALS Center, resident in Piemonte and Valle d’Aosta, diagnosed between 2000 and 2015, excluding patients with severe pulmonary and kidney comorbidities. Descriptive statistic of the population is shown in the online supplementary material 1. Two-hundred and seventy-four patients (56.1%) underwent NIMV. Median time between ABG/PFT and NIMV initiation was 5.0 months (IQR 1.0–12.0). NIMV was started at a median FVC% value of 57.4% (IQR 44.2–73.6). Median overall survival after NIMV initiation was 225 days (IQR 104–491). Patients who did not undergo NIMV (n=214) were significantly older (68.6 years vs 64.9 years, p

The pathological deposition of the transactive response DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa occurs in the majority (∼97%) of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and in around 45% of frontotemporal lobar degeneration cases. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal lobar degeneration clinically overlap, presenting a continuum of phenotypes. Both amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal lobar degeneration lack treatments capable of interfering with the underlying pathological process and early detection of transactive response DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa pathology would facilitate the development of disease-modifying drugs. The real-time quaking-induced conversion reaction showed the ability to detect prions in several peripheral tissues of patients with different forms of prion and prion-like diseases. Despite transactive response DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa displays prion-like properties, to date the real-time quaking-induced conversion reaction technology has not yet been adapted to this protein. The aim of this study was to adapt the real-time quaking-induced conversion reaction technique for the transactive response DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa substrate and to exploit the intrinsic ability of this technology to amplify minute amount of mis-folded proteins for the detection of pathological transactive response DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa species in the cerebrospinal fluid of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal lobar degeneration patients. We first optimized the technique with synthetic transactive response DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa–pre-formed aggregates and with autopsy-verified brain homogenate samples and subsequently analysed CSF samples from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal lobar degeneration patients and controls. Transactive response DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa real-time quaking-induced conversion reaction was able to detect as little as 15 pg of transactive response DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa aggregates, discriminating between a cohort of patients affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal lobar degeneration and age-matched controls with a total sensitivity of 94% and a specificity of 85%. Our data give a proof-of-concept that transactive response DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa is a suitable substrate for the real-time quaking-induced conversion reaction. Transactive response DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa real-time quaking-induced conversion reaction could be an innovative and useful tool for diagnosis and drug development in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal lobar degeneration. The cerebrospinal fluid detection of transactive response DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa pathological aggregates may be exploited as a disease biomarker for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal lobar degeneration patients., We adapted the RT-QuIC (real-time quaking-induced conversion reaction) technology to the TDP-43 substrate. TDP-43 RT-QuIC detected as little as 15 pg of TDP-43 synthetic aggregates and reached 94% of sensitivity and 85% of specificity in the analysis of CSF from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal lobar degeneration patients and age-matched controls., Graphical Abstract Graphical Abstract

ObjectiveTo investigate structural and functional neural organization in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), primary lateral sclerosis (PLS), and progressive muscular atrophy (PMA).MethodsA total of 173 patients with sporadic ALS, 38 patients with PLS, 28 patients with PMA, and 79 healthy controls were recruited from 3 Italian centers. Participants underwent clinical, neuropsychological, and brain MRI evaluations. Using graph analysis and connectomics, global and lobar topologic network properties and regional structural and functional brain connectivity were assessed. The association between structural and functional network organization and clinical and cognitive data was investigated.ResultsCompared with healthy controls, patients with ALS and patients with PLS showed altered structural global network properties, as well as local topologic alterations and decreased structural connectivity in sensorimotor, basal ganglia, frontal, and parietal areas. Patients with PMA showed preserved global structure. Patient groups did not show significant alterations of functional network topologic properties relative to controls. Increased local functional connectivity was observed in patients with ALS in the precentral, middle, and superior frontal areas, and in patients with PLS in the sensorimotor, basal ganglia, and temporal networks. In patients with ALS and patients with PLS, structural connectivity alterations correlated with motor impairment, whereas functional connectivity disruption was closely related to executive dysfunction and behavioral disturbances.ConclusionsThis multicenter study showed widespread motor and extramotor network degeneration in ALS and PLS, suggesting that graph analysis and connectomics might represent a powerful approach to detect upper motor neuron degeneration, extramotor brain changes, and network reorganization associated with the disease. Network-based advanced MRI provides an objective in vivo assessment of motor neuron diseases, delivering potential prognostic markers.

Purpose Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease leading to neuromuscular palsy and death. We propose a computational approach to [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT images to analyze the structure and metabolic pattern of skeletal muscle in ALS and its relationship with disease aggressiveness. Materials and methods A computational 3D method was used to extract whole psoas muscle’s volumes and average attenuation coefficient (AAC) from CT images obtained by FDG PET/CT performed in 62 ALS patients and healthy controls. Psoas average standardized uptake value (normalized on the liver, N-SUV) and its distribution heterogeneity (defined as N-SUV variation coefficient, VC-SUV) were also extracted. Spinal cord and brain motor cortex FDG uptake were also estimated. Results As previously described, FDG uptake was significantly higher in the spinal cord and lower in the brain motor cortex, in ALS compared to controls. While psoas AAC was similar in patients and controls, in ALS a significant reduction in psoas volume (3.6 ± 1.02 vs 4.12 ± 1.33 mL/kg; p < 0.01) and increase in psoas N-SUV (0.45 ± 0.19 vs 0.29 ± 0.09; p < 0.001) were observed. Higher heterogeneity of psoas FDG uptake was also documented in ALS (VC-SUV 8 ± 4%, vs 5 ± 2%, respectively, p < 0.001) and significantly predicted overall survival at Kaplan–Meier analysis. VC-SUV prognostic power was confirmed by univariate analysis, while the multivariate Cox regression model identified the spinal cord metabolic activation as the only independent prognostic biomarker. Conclusion The present data suggest the existence of a common mechanism contributing to disease progression through the metabolic impairment of both second motor neuron and its effector.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal disease defined by the progressive degeneration of both upper and lower motor neurons. The median survival after symptom onset is 3 to 5 years. Prognostic parameters have been identified and are associated with survival in ALS.1 2 Levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL) and C reactive protein (CRP) are both altered in serum of patients with ALS.3 4 Interestingly, these markers are linked to functional disability and survival in ALS.3 4 Prognostic protein biomarkers in blood are not taken into account yet when counselling patients with ALS. It is not clear to what extent these biomarkers contribute to predict survival in ALS. Here, we assessed the ability of serum NfL and CRP to predict survival in a multivariate survival model including eight other established prognostic parameters in ALS.2 ### Participants In total, 383 patients with ALS, diagnosed between 2009 and 2018 according to the revised El Escorial criteria (10.4% suspected ALS, 21.9% possible ALS, 48.6% probable ALS and 19.1% definite ALS), were included in this retrospective study. Patients were recruited at the NeuroMuscular Reference Center of the University Hospital in Leuven, Belgium and at the NEuroMuscular Omnicenter of the Niguarda Ca’ Granda Hospital in Milan, Italy. Blood samples were consecutively collected during the first visit, providing a wide variety of patient inclusions going from early symptomatic to second opinions. Serum was aliquoted, transported on dry ice and stored at −80°C until analysis. Assay specifications can be retrieved in the supplemental data. The FVC and the revised ALS Functional Rating Score (ALSFRS-r) were obtained at the latest within 3 months from sampling. For each survival analysis, the patients were classified into …