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Review
. 2023 Jun 15;12(3):85-88.
eCollection 2023.

Nucleus accumbens changes in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Ioannis N Mavridis  1   2 , Efstratios-Stylianos Pyrgelis  1   3
Affiliations
Review

Nucleus accumbens changes in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Ioannis N Mavridis et al. Am J Neurodegener Dis. .

Abstract

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a representative example of motor neuron disease, is a progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disorder. The nucleus accumbens (NA) is the ventral striatum's main part and is considered as a modulator of the human brain's reward network. The purpose of this article is to review the current knowledge regarding NA changes in ALS patients. The NA involvement in ALS includes volumetric, cellular and molecular changes. There are recent imaging and pathological studies revealing NA atrophy in ALS, a finding which seems to be related to neuronal loss and protein deposition in this area. The clinical significance of NA atrophy in these patients is not currently fully understood. Perhaps it could be correlated with apathy, behavioral disturbances and cognitive impairment that ALS patients sometimes manifest.

Keywords: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; atrophy; dopamine; nucleus accumbens.

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Conflict of interest statement

None.

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