Assessment of language and executive functions in ALS: the brief executive Language screen

Objective: Language and executive functioning are two domains commonly impacted in ALS and should be assessed sensitively and briefly. This paper investigates the utility of the Brief Executive Language Screen (BELS) in ALS. Methods: ALS patients (N = 27) were compared to age, education, and pre-morbid intelligence-matched healthy controls (N = 91) at the group level using ANCOVA and t-tests. A case series was also conducted to explore individual and subgroup performance on the BELS and Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioral ALS Screen (ECAS). Results: Groups were largely matched on neuropsychology baseline measures. The ALS group performed significantly worse on BELS Propositional Language and Executive Function subtests, and on overall BELS scores. Group results suggest setting a goal can increase phonemic fluency and spontaneous speech output, after controlling for motor speed. The case series revealed almost half of patients (across all subgroups) were impaired on the BELS, compared to 15% impaired on the ECAS (patients on the more severe end of the ALS-FTD spectrum). Conclusions: The BELS rapidly assesses language and executive functions, and provides valuable information for management of cognitive difficulties (i.e., goal setting), which can help improve or maintain conversational speech. The BELS may help to identify subtle impairments that may otherwise go undetected.