The cognitive spectrum in neurodegenerative Langerhans cell histiocytosis

Clinical spectrum of cognitive troubles complicating neurodegenerative Langerhans cell histiocytosis (ND-LCH) is poorly known. The aim of this study is to evaluate cognitive functions in ND-LCH. The cognitive functions of a series of eight adult patients (7 males and 1 female; mean age 26 years IQ 25–75; range 20–33) suffering from clinical and/or radiological ND-LCH were evaluated using the following tests: (1) forward/backward digit and spatial span tasks of the WAIS-R scale and the Corsi block task, (2) the French version of the free and cued selective reminding test, (3) verbal fluency tests, (4) the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB), (5) backward measurement of the verbal and visuospatial memories of the WAIS-R scale, (6) the Rey complex figure test, (7) the trail making tests A and B, (8) digit symbol and symbol search of the WAIS-IV scale, and (9) the Stroop test. Episodic (i.e. autobiographical or personal) memory free recall, categorical verbal fluency, phonological verbal fluency, visuospatial processing skills, attention, speed of processing, and sensitivity to interference were impaired in ND-LCH patients. In contrast, verbal and visuospatial short-term memories (i.e. immediate memories or forward span tasks) were preserved in all patients. Adult ND-LCH patients suffer from a severe but dissociated dysexecutive syndrome, mostly affecting executive strategies and relatively sparing short-term memory. Our study supports the need of assessing executive functions using comprehensive cognitive evaluation in ND-LCH patients for early diagnosis.