Cognitive and behaviour change in MND

This resource provides information on some common cognitive and behaviour changes that may occur for a person living with motor neuron disease.

What you should know

• The word “cognition” refers to the thought processes that include thinking, reasoning, awareness, perception or remembering.
• Over 50% of people with MND can experience reduced abilities in thinking and behaviour • Most people experience relatively mild changes.
• A small proportion (5-15%) will show more significant changes and be diagnosed with ‘motor neurone disease with frontotemporal dementia’ or MND/FTD.
• Difficulty concentrating, finding the right words for conversations, solving problems and expressing emotions are some of the symptoms of cognitive and behaviour change in MND.
• A general practitioner (GP), neurologist or specialist MND clinic can assist in diagnosing changes in cognition and behaviour.