Coexistence of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Alzheimer's Disease: Case Report and Review of the Literature

J Alzheimers Dis. 2023;95(4):1383-1399. doi: 10.3233/JAD-230562.

Abstract

We describe a case of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and review the literature about the coexistence of the two entities, highlighting the following: mean age at onset is 63.8 years, with slight female predominance; ALS tends to manifest after cognitive impairment and often begins in the bulbar region; average disease duration is 3 years; cognitive phenotype is mostly amnestic; the pattern of brain involvement is, in most cases, consistent with AD. Our case and the reviewed ones suggest that patients with ALS and dementia lacking unequivocal features of FTD should undergo additional examinations in order to recognize AD.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; neurodegeneration; neuropsychology.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Case Reports
  • Letter
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alzheimer Disease* / diagnosis
  • Alzheimer Disease* / diagnostic imaging
  • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis* / complications
  • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis* / diagnosis
  • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis* / genetics
  • Brain / diagnostic imaging
  • Cognitive Dysfunction* / complications
  • Female
  • Frontotemporal Dementia* / complications
  • Frontotemporal Dementia* / diagnostic imaging
  • Frontotemporal Dementia* / genetics
  • Humans
  • Male