A influência da reserva cognitiva no desempenho cognitivo em indivíduos com esclerose lateral amiotrófica
: uma revisão sistemática

Translated title of the thesis: Exploring the impact of cognitive reserve on cognitive outcomes in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a systematic review
  • Beatriz Xavier de Castro Villas Bôas (Student)

Student thesis: Master's Thesis

Abstract

Introduction Traditionally, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is seen as a Motor Neuron Disease (MND) with an impact mainly on the motor system, as the name implies. However, recent discoveries have been unraveling this view, revealing that cognitive deficit are a significant feature of this disease. The concept of Cognitive Reserve (CR), which refers to brain´s resilience to deal with neuropathological damage, has been explored in various neurological conditions, neurodegenerative and others, and ALS is no exception. However, a Systematic Review (SR) of this concept in this population has never been carried out. The aim of this paper is to systematically review the literature on the impact of CR on cognitive functioning individuals with ALS. Methodology SR was carried out following the methodology defined by the PRISMA guidelines. A literature search was carried out in scientific journals of studies published in PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection, Cochrane Library, Web of Science Core Collection, until May 2023, after which an August study relevant to the SR was added. Results Sixteen studies published between 1996 and 2024 were selected and analyzed. The analysis of the studies included in the SR shows that CR has a positive effect on the cognitive status of individuals with ALS, with higher levels of CR being associated with lower cognitive deficits in these individuals and a better prognosis of the disease. In addition, a positive role for CR was found depending on the type of ALS, with the bulbar phenotype showing the greatest benefit from CR. Conclusions Althought more research is needed to better understand the impact of CR on cognition, it can be concluded that CR has an influence on protecting cognitive status in ALS. These results support the role of CR in cognitive status in these patients, which provides relevant information regarding patient prognosis and promotes better decision-making regarding the approach to rehabilitation plans.
Date of Award28 Nov 2024
Original languagePortuguese
Awarding Institution
  • Universidade Católica Portuguesa
SupervisorMaria Vânia Silva Nunes (Supervisor)

Keywords

  • Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
  • Cognitive reserve
  • Cognition
  • Cognitive function

Designation

  • Mestrado em Neuropsicologia

Cite this

'