Trajectories of behavioral disturbance in dementia

The pursuit for markers of disease progression in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia: a scoping review to optimize outcome measures for clinical trials

Behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by diverse and prominent changes in behavior and personality. One of the greatest challenges in bvFTD is to capture, measure and predict its disease progression, due to clinical, pathological and genetic heterogeneity. Availability of reliable outcome measures is pivotal for future clinical trials and disease monitoring. Detection of change should be objective, clinically meaningful and easily assessed, preferably associated with a biological process. The purpose of this scoping review is to examine the status of longitudinal studies in bvFTD, evaluate current assessment tools and propose potential progression markers. A systematic literature search (in PubMed and Embase.com) was performed. Literature on disease trajectories and longitudinal validity of frequently-used measures was organized in five domains: global functioning, behavior, (social) cognition, neuroimaging and fluid biomarkers. Evaluating current longitudinal data, we propose an adaptive battery, combining a set of sensitive clinical, neuroimaging and fluid markers, adjusted for genetic and sporadic variants, for adequate detection of disease progression in bvFTD.

BPSD Patterns in Patients With Severe Neuropsychiatric Disturbances: Insight From the RECAGE Study

OBJECTIVE

Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) profiles vary depending on etiology in patients with mild-to-moderate BPSD. It is not known if similar differences exist in patients with severe BPSD.

METHODS

We analyzed data collected at baseline in 398 patients with severe BPSD (NPI ≥ 32) and defined diagnosis of dementia (Alzheimer's disease [AD] 297; frontotemporal dementia [FTD] 39; Lewy body disease/Parkinsonian dementia [LBD/PD] 31; and vascular dementia [VD] 31) included in the European multicenter cohort RECAGE.

RESULTS

Mean total NPI was 52.11 (18.55). LBD/PD patients demonstrated more hallucinations, more anxiety and more delusions than patients with other dementia. FTD patients had less delusions and more disinhibition than patients with other neurodegenerative disorders. These profiles overlapped partially with those reported in the literature in patients with less severe symptoms.

CONCLUSION

Patients with severe BPSD display different and specific profiles of neuropsychiatric symptoms depending on dementia etiology.

A caregiver's perspective on clinically relevant symptoms in behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia: tools for disease management and trial design

BACKGROUND

Adequate detection of symptoms and disease progression in behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) is complex. Dementia cohorts usually utilize cognitive and functional measures, which fail to detect dominant behavioural and social cognitive deficits in bvFTD. Moreover, since patients typically have a loss of insight, caregivers are important informants. This is the first qualitative study to investigate caregiver relevant symptoms during the disease course of bvFTD, aiming to improve tools for diagnosis, progression, and future clinical trials.

METHODS

Informal caregivers of patients in different disease stages of bvFTD (N = 20) were recruited from the neurology outpatient clinic of the Amsterdam UMC and a patient organization for peer support in the Netherlands. Their perspectives on clinical relevance were thoroughly explored during individual semi-structured interviews. Inductive content analysis with open coding was performed by two researchers independently to establish overarching themes and patterns.

RESULTS

Caregivers reported a variety of symptoms, in which (i) loss of emotional connection, (ii) preoccupation and restlessness, and (iii) apathy and dependency compose major themes of relevance for diagnosis and treatment. Within heterogeneous disease trajectories, symptom presence differed between stages and among individuals, which is relevant in the context of progression and outcome measures. Significant socio-emotional changes dominated in early stages, while severe cognitive, behavioural, and physical deterioration shifted focus from predominant personality change to quality of life in later stages.

CONCLUSIONS

Caregiver perspectives on target symptoms in bvFTD differ according to clinical stage and patient-caregiver characteristics, with significant socio-emotional changes characterizing early stages. These findings call for more appropriate tools and symptomatic treatments, as well as a personalized approach in treatment of bvFTD and a focus on early stage interventions in clinical trial design.

The contribution of behavioral features to caregiver burden in FTLD spectrum disorders

INTRODUCTION

Caregivers of patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) spectrum disorders experience tremendous burden, which has been associated with the neuropsychiatric and behavioral features of the disorders.

METHODS

In a sample of 558 participants with FTLD spectrum disorders, we performed multiple-variable regressions to identify the behavioral features that were most strongly associated with caregiver burden, as measured by the Zarit Burden Interview, at each stage of disease.

RESULTS

Apathy and disinhibition, as rated by both clinicians and caregivers, as well as clinician-rated psychosis, showed the strongest associations with caregiver burden, a pattern that was consistent when participants were separated cross-sectionally by disease stage. In addition, behavioral features appeared to contribute most to caregiver burden in patients with early dementia.

DISCUSSION

Caregivers should be provided with early education on the management of the behavioral features of FTLD spectrum disorders. Interventions targeting apathy, disinhibition, and psychosis may be most useful to reduce caregiver burden.

Age of Symptom Onset and Longitudinal Course of Sporadic Alzheimer's Disease, Frontotemporal Dementia, and Vascular Dementia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Understanding how the age of dementia symptom onset affects the longitudinal course of dementia can assist with prognosis and care planning.

OBJECTIVE

To synthesize evidence regarding the relationship of age of symptom onset with the longitudinal course of sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD), vascular dementia (VaD), and frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

METHODS

We searched Medline, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Scopus for longitudinal studies that examined the impact of sporadic AD, VaD, or FTD symptom onset age on measures of cognition, function, or behavioral symptoms. Studies that examined age at diagnosis only were excluded. Quantitative meta-analysis was conducted where studies reported sufficient data for pooling.

RESULTS

Thirty studies met all inclusion criteria (people with AD (n = 26), FTD (n = 4)) though no studies examined VaD. Earlier onset of AD was associated with more rapid annual cognitive decline (estimate = -0.07; 95% CI -0.14 to 0.00; p = 0.045). Most studies that stratified their sample reported that younger AD onset (usually <  65 years) was associated with more rapid cognitive decline. Other evidence was inconclusive.

CONCLUSION

Younger people with AD appear to have a poorer prognosis in terms of faster cognitive decline than older people with AD. More research is required to determine the impact of symptom onset age in VaD and FTD, and on functional decline in all dementias.

Caregiver burden in patients with behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia and non-fluent variant and semantic variant primary progressive aphasia

Studies on caregiver burden in patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration are rare, differ methodologically and show variable results. Single center longitudinal pilot study on caregiver burden and potential risk factors in patients with behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) and semantic (svPPA) and non-fluent variants (nfvPPA) primary progressive aphasia. Forty-six bvFTD, nine svPPA, and six nfvPPA patients and caring relatives were analysed for up to 2 years using the Mini-Mental State Examination as global measure for cognitive performance, Frontal Assessment Battery (frontal lobe functions), Frontal Behavioural Inventory (personality and behaviour), Neuropsychiatric Inventory (dementia-related neuropsychiatric symptoms), Barthel Index and Lawton IADL Scale (basic and instrumental activities of daily living), the Caregiver Strain Index (CSI), and in most participants also the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI). CSI baseline sum scores were highest in bvFTD (mean ± SD 5.5 ± 3.4, median 5, IQR 6), intermediate in svPPA (2.9 ± 2.3; 3; 3.5) and low in nfvPPA (1.6 ± 2.1; 1; 2). Similar differences of caregiver burden were found using the ZBI. During follow-up, CSI and ZBI sum scores deteriorated in svPPA, not in bvFTD and nfvPPA, and correlated significantly with personality and behaviour, neuropsychiatric symptoms, caregiver age, and instrumental, but not basic activities of daily living, Mini-Mental State Examination scores or frontal lobe functions. This study reveals differences in caregiver burden in variants of frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Caregivers should be systematically asked for caregiver burden from the time of the diagnosis to provide comprehensive support in time.

Progression of Behavioral Disturbances and Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Patients With Genetic Frontotemporal Dementia

IMPORTANCE

Behavioral disturbances are core features of frontotemporal dementia (FTD); however, symptom progression across the course of disease is not well characterized in genetic FTD.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate behavioral symptom frequency and severity and their evolution and progression in different forms of genetic FTD.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This longitudinal cohort study, the international Genetic FTD Initiative (GENFI), was conducted from January 30, 2012, to May 31, 2019, at 23 multicenter specialist tertiary FTD research clinics in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Finland, and Canada. Participants included a consecutive sample of 232 symptomatic FTD gene variation carriers comprising 115 with variations in C9orf72, 78 in GRN, and 39 in MAPT. A total of 101 carriers had at least 1 follow-up evaluation (for a total of 400 assessments). Gene variations were included only if considered pathogenetic.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Behavioral and neuropsychiatric symptoms were assessed across disease duration and evaluated from symptom onset. Hierarchical generalized linear mixed models were used to model behavioral and neuropsychiatric measures as a function of disease duration and variation.

RESULTS

Of 232 patients with FTD, 115 (49.6%) had a C9orf72 expansion (median [interquartile range (IQR)] age at evaluation, 64.3 [57.5-69.7] years; 72 men [62.6%]; 115 White patients [100%]), 78 (33.6%) had a GRN variant (median [IQR] age, 63.4 [58.3-68.8] years; 40 women [51.3%]; 77 White patients [98.7%]), and 39 (16.8%) had a MAPT variant (median [IQR] age, 56.3 [49.9-62.4] years; 25 men [64.1%]; 37 White patients [94.9%]). All core behavioral symptoms, including disinhibition, apathy, loss of empathy, perseverative behavior, and hyperorality, were highly expressed in all gene variant carriers (>50% patients), with apathy being one of the most common and severe symptoms throughout the disease course (51.7%-100% of patients). Patients with MAPT variants showed the highest frequency and severity of most behavioral symptoms, particularly disinhibition (79.3%-100% of patients) and compulsive behavior (64.3%-100% of patients), compared with C9orf72 carriers (51.7%-95.8% of patients with disinhibition and 34.5%-75.0% with compulsive behavior) and GRN carriers (38.2%-100% with disinhibition and 20.6%-100% with compulsive behavior). Alongside behavioral symptoms, neuropsychiatric symptoms were very frequently reported in patients with genetic FTD: anxiety and depression were most common in GRN carriers (23.8%-100% of patients) and MAPT carriers (26.1%-77.8% of patients); hallucinations, particularly auditory and visual, were most common in C9orf72 carriers (10.3%-54.5% of patients). Most behavioral and neuropsychiatric symptoms increased in the early-intermediate phases and plateaued in the late stages of disease, except for depression, which steadily declined in C9orf72 carriers, and depression and anxiety, which surged only in the late stages in GRN carriers.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

This cohort study suggests that behavioral and neuropsychiatric disturbances differ between the common FTD gene variants and have different trajectories throughout the course of disease. These findings have crucial implications for counseling patients and caregivers and for the design of disease-modifying treatment trials in genetic FTD.

Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia Due to AD: Relation With Disease Stage and Cognitive Deficits

Background: The interaction between neuropsychiatric symptoms, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and dementia is complex and remains to be elucidated. An additive or multiplicative effect of neuropsychiatric symptoms such as apathy or depression on cognitive decline has been suggested. Unraveling these interactions may allow the development of better prevention and treatment strategies. In the absence of available treatments for neurodegeneration, a timely and adequate identification of neuropsychiatric symptom changes in cognitive decline is highly relevant and can help identify treatment targets. Methods: An existing memory clinic-based research database of 476 individuals with MCI and 978 individuals with dementia due to Alzheimer's disease (AD) was reanalyzed. Neuropsychiatric symptoms were assessed in a prospective fashion using a battery of neuropsychiatric assessment scales: Middelheim Frontality Score, Behavioral Pathology in Alzheimer's Disease Rating Scale (Behave-AD), Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory, Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD), and Geriatric Depression Scale (30 items). We subtyped subjects suffering from dementia as mild, moderate, or severe according to their Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score and compared neuropsychiatric scores across these groups. A group of 126 subjects suffering from AD with a significant cerebrovascular component was examined separately as well. We compared the prevalence, nature, and severity of neuropsychiatric symptoms between subgroups of patients with MCI and dementia due to AD in a cross-sectional analysis. Results: Affective and sleep-related symptoms are common in MCI and remain constant in prevalence and severity across dementia groups. Depressive symptoms as assessed by the CSDD further increase in severe dementia. Most other neuropsychiatric symptoms (such as agitation and activity disturbances) progress in parallel with severity of cognitive decline. There are no significant differences in neuropsychiatric symptoms when comparing "pure" AD to AD with a significant vascular component. Conclusion: Neuropsychiatric symptoms such as frontal lobe symptoms, psychosis, agitation, aggression, and activity disturbances increase as dementia progresses. Affective symptoms such as anxiety and depressive symptoms, however, are more frequent in MCI than mild dementia but otherwise remain stable throughout the cognitive spectrum, except for an increase in CSDD score in severe dementia. There is no difference in neuropsychiatric symptoms when comparing mixed dementia (defined here as AD + significant cerebrovascular disease) to pure AD.

End Stage Clinical Features and Cause of Death of Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia and Young-Onset Alzheimer's Disease

BACKGROUND

Limited literature exists regarding the clinical features of end stage behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). This data is indispensable to inform and prepare family members as well as professional caregivers for the expected disease course and to anticipate with drug-based and non-pharmacological treatment strategies.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the present study was to describe end stage bvFTD in a broad explorative manner and to subsequently evaluate similarities and dissimilarities with the end stage of the most prevalent form of young-onset dementia, Alzheimer's disease (yoAD).

METHODS

We analyzed medical files on patients, using a mixed model of qualitative and quantitative approaches. Included were previously deceased patients with probable bvFTD and probable yoAD. End stage was defined as the last 6 months prior to death. Primary outcome measures comprised somatic, neurological, and psychiatric symptoms and the secondary outcome measure was cause of death.

RESULTS

Out of 89 patients, a total of 30 patients were included (bvFTD; n = 12, yoAD; n = 18). Overall, the end stages of bvFTD and yoAD were characterized by a broad spectrum of clinical symptoms including severe autonomic dysfunction and an increased muscle tone. Patients with bvFTD displayed more mutism compared with yoAD while compulsiveness was only present in bvFTD.

CONCLUSION

Our study describes the full clinical spectrum of end stage bvFTD and yoAD. In this study, symptoms extend far beyond the initial behavioral and cognitive features. By taking both somatic, psychiatric, and neurological features into account, family members and professional caregivers may anticipate (non) pharmacological treatment.

Disease-specific profiles of apathy in Alzheimer's disease and behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia differ across the disease course

Apathy is one of the most prevalent and disabling non-cognitive symptoms of dementia. This loss of motivation and pervasive decline in goal-directed behaviour represents a core diagnostic feature of behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) and is also common in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, despite growing recognition of a multidimensional model, apathy has typically been examined as a unitary symptom. Here, we employed a cross-sectional design to characterise the multidimensional nature of apathy across syndromes and disease course. 92 participants (44 bvFTD, 20 AD, 28 controls) completed the Dimensional Apathy Scale (DAS) to quantify emotional, executive, and initiation apathy. Patients were divided into early and late stages based on time since symptom onset. All participants underwent structural MRI and voxel-based morphometry was used to identify neural correlates of apathy dimensions. In the early stage of the disease (< 5 years since onset), emotional apathy was greater in bvFTD than AD. In contrast, in the late stage (> 5 years since onset), executive apathy was greater in AD than bvFTD, although apathy was elevated across all dimensions compared to controls. Notably, apathy was observed in the absence of self-reported depression in 46.2% of patients, with no patients classified as depressed only. Neuroimaging analyses revealed both common and divergent prefrontal and subcortical neural correlates associated with apathy dimensions. Our results reveal differing profiles of apathy across the disease course, in AD and bvFTD, with distinct brain regions mediating these dimensions. These findings will inform the development of appropriate treatment targets to ameliorate the impact of apathy in dementia.

Clozapine for Treatment-Refractory Behavioral Disturbance in Dementia

BACKGROUND

Behavioral and psychological symptoms in dementia significantly contribute to caregiver burden and impose patient hospitalization. The goal of treatment of admitted patients is the rapid remission of symptoms to allow their return to home as soon as possible. Intervention requires an intrusive approach with parenteral treatment and physical restraints, with a negative emotional impact on patients and their families. Despite the large utilization of antipsychotics for behavioral and psychological symptoms, there is no antipsychotic approved by the Food and Drug Administration for agitation in dementia.

STUDY QUESTION

To evaluate efficacy and tolerability of clozapine in patients with treatment-resistant agitation associated with dementia.

STUDY DESIGN

Cohort study with 337 patients, admitted between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2016, with dementia according to The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th ed. criteria. Clozapine was given in standard titration, starting with 6.25 or 12.5 mg.

MEASURES AND OUTCOMES

Efficacy was measured by the need for physical restraints and time to discharge and tolerability by recording all side effects. Data collected included demographics, psychotropics used, physical restraints, length of stay, destination after discharge, and comorbidities.

RESULTS

Of 337 cases, 315 (93.5%) patients received antipsychotics. There were 27 cases treated with clozapine. Before clozapine initiation, haloperidol was given in 16 cases (55.17%, mean = 7.43 mg/d, SD = ±4.01), and the treatment was stopped mainly because of extrapyramidal side effects. Other antipsychotics used were quetiapine (mean dose = 260 mg/d, SD = ±54.77), risperidone (mean dose = 3.3 mg/d, SD = ±0.57), and olanzapine (mean dose = 8.33 mg/d, SD = ±2.88). Mean dose of clozapine was 59.16 mg/d, (SD = ±40.48), ranging from 12.5 to 200 mg/d. There were a lower number of physical restraints after clozapine initiation than before (12 vs. 34, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Clozapine therapy seemed beneficial in treatment-resistant agitation in patients with dementia. The risk-benefit balance must be well weighed when clozapine is chosen. More studies are needed.

Differences of Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia in Disease Severity in Four Major Dementias

Background/Aims

Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSDs) negatively impact the prognosis of dementia patients and increase caregiver distress. The aims of this study were to clarify the differences of trajectories of 12 kinds of BPSDs by disease severity in four major dementias and to develop charts showing the frequency, severity, and associated caregiver distress (ACD) of BPSDs using the data of a Japan multicenter study (J-BIRD).

Methods

We gathered Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) data of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD; n = 1091), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB; n = 249), vascular dementia (VaD; n = 156), and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD; n = 102) collected during a 5-year period up to July 31, 2013 in seven centers for dementia in Japan. The NPI composite scores (frequency × severity) of 12 kinds of items were analyzed using a principal component analysis (PCA) in each dementia. The factor scores of the PCA were compared in each dementia by disease severity, which was determined with Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR).

Results

Significant increases with higher CDR scores were observed in 1) two of the three factor scores which were loaded for all items except euphoria in AD, 2) two of the four factor scores for apathy, aberrant motor behavior (AMB), sleep disturbances, agitation, irritability, disinhibition, and euphoria in DLB, and 3) one of the four factor scores for apathy, depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbances in VaD. However, no increases were observed in any of the five factor scores in FTLD.

Conclusions

As dementia progresses, several BPSDs become more severe, including 1) apathy and sleep disturbances in AD, DLB, and VaD, 2) all of the BPSDs except euphoria in AD, 3) AMB, agitation, irritability, disinhibition, and euphoria in DLB, and 4) depression and anxiety in VaD. Trajectories of BPSDs in FTLD were unclear.

Longitudinal change in everyday function and behavioral symptoms in frontotemporal dementia

Background:

The relationship between behavioral changes and functional decline in frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is not well understood.

Methods:

Thirty-nine patients (21 behavioral variant FTD [bvFTD], 18 semantic variant primary progressive aphasia [svPPA]) were followed up longitudinally (2–4 years follow-up). Functional (Disability Assessment for Dementia) and behavioral (Cambridge Behavioural Inventory Revised) assessments were included for between-group (pairwise comparisons, mixed model analysis) and within-group analyses (bivariate correlations).

Results:

Functionally, patients with bvFTD were more impaired than patients with svPPA at baseline and continued to be at follow-up, despite similar disease duration. By contrast, behavioral impairments differed between patient groups at baseline and at follow-up. At baseline, patients with bvFTD exhibited higher levels of apathy and changes in eating than patients with svPPA; disinhibited and stereotypical behaviors were similar. Over the years, patients with bvFTD showed reduction in disinhibition and stereotypical behavior while apathy and eating changes increased. By contrast, all measured behaviors increased in patients with svPPA over time. Finally, only apathy made longitudinal contributions to functional disability in patients with svPPA, whereas apathy and stereotypical behavior were associated with increased disability in patients with bvFTD.

Conclusions:

Despite shared overlapping baseline behavioral symptoms, patients with bvFTD are more functionally impaired than patients with svPPA. Apathy has a strong role in disability for both bvFTD and svPPA, but stereotypical behaviors only contributed to functional deficits in patients with bvFTD. Our findings suggest that rigid/compulsive behaviors may in fact support activity engagement in patients with svPPA. Taken together, our results indicate that interventions to reduce disability in the FTD spectrum require an alternative rationale in comparison to Alzheimer disease dementia, and should carefully weigh the interaction of behavioral symptoms and functional status.

Trajectories of Behavioural Disturbances Across Dementia Types

OBJECTIVE

To replicate a previous finding that the trajectory of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) shifts in the sixth year of behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). We evaluated longitudinal tracking with both the Frontal Behavioural Inventory (FBI) and NPI, comparing bvFTD against other dementias.

METHODS

Chart reviews over two to five years for patients with bvFTD (n=30), primary progressive aphasia (PPA, n=13) and Alzheimer's disease (AD, n=118) at an urban Canadian tertiary clinic specializing in dementia. Linear regressions of the longitudinal data tested predictors of annualized rates of change (ROC) in NPI and FBI total and subscales for apathy and disinhibition among dementia groups.

RESULTS

The mode of the overall sample for the most advanced duration of illness observed was 5 years, with the median at 7 years. We did not find a crescendo-decrescendo pattern in scores although, for bvFTD and AD, high initial scores correlated with ensuing downward ROCs on the NPI and FBI. Educational level showed an influence on disinhibition ROCs. The FBI was no more revealing than the NPI for apathy and disinhibition scores in these dementias.

CONCLUSIONS

A cognitive reserve effect on behavioural disturbance was supported but it may take longer than our 4 years of observing the clinical sample to record inflection points in the behavioural and psychiatric symptoms seen in bvFTD. The current data only imply that both apathy and disinhibition will diminish over the course of dementia.

Neuropsychiatric effects of neurodegeneration of the medial versus lateral ventral prefrontal cortex in humans

Animal evidence suggests that a brain network involving the medial and rostral ventral prefrontal cortex (PFC) is central for threat response and arousal and a network involving the lateral and caudal PFC plays an important role in reward learning and behavioral control. In this study, we contrasted the neuropsychiatric effects of degeneration of the medial versus lateral PFC in 43 patients with Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and 11 patients with Corticobasal Syndrome (CBS) using MRI, the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), and the Sorting, Tower, Twenty Questions, and Fluency tests of the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS). Deviations in MRI grey matter volume from 86 age-matched healthy control subjects were determined for the patients using FreeSurfer. Multivariate regression was used to determine which brain areas were associated with specific neuropsychiatric and cognitive symptoms. Decreased grey matter volume of the right medial ventral PFC was associated with increased anxiety and apathy, decreased volume of the right lateral ventral PFC with apathy and inappropriate repetitive behaviors, and of the left lateral ventral PFC with poor performance on the sorting and Twenty Questions task in patients with FTD and CBS. Similar to in animal studies, damage to the medial OFC appears to be associated with a disruption of arousal, and damage to the lateral OFC appears to be associated with deficits in trial-and-error learning and behavioral dysregulation. Studies of brain dysfunction in humans are valuable to bridge animal and human neuropsychiatric research.

Neuropsychiatric symptoms in primary progressive aphasia and apraxia of speech

AIM

To conduct a prospective analysis of the neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) across the three categories of primary progressive aphasia (PPA) and progressive apraxia of speech (PAOS), compare the prevalence and nature of the symptoms, and look at which symptoms could be helpful to better differentiate these PPA and PAOS categories.

METHODS

A total of 106 consecutive patients with a diagnosis of semantic variant (n = 13), logopenic variant (n = 37), agrammatic variant (n = 15) or PAOS (n = 41) were included in this prospective study. The NPS were measured by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire.

RESULTS

There were 65 patients with PPA and 41 with PAOS diagnosis. The most distinguishing features between the two groups were anxiety, apathy, aberrant motor behavior and appetite, while among the subtypes of PPA they were disinhibition and appetite changes. PPA and PAOS patients initially exhibited depression, but with increased disease duration, PAOS patients showed apathy (55.5%) while PPA patients showed disinhibition (28.6%) and aberrant motor behavior (14.3%).

CONCLUSION

Mood symptoms like anxiety and appetite changes are more likely to be present at initial stages of PPA, whereas behavioral symptoms like aberrant motor behavior and apathy are likely to occur early in PAOS. The NPS seem to evolve with the progression of the disease in both PPA and PAOS.

A scale of socioemotional dysfunction in frontotemporal dementia

Early social dysfunction is a hallmark symptom of behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD); however, validated measures for assessing social deficits in dementia are needed. The purpose of the current study was to examine the utility of a novel informant-based measure of social impairment, the Socioemotional Dysfunction Scale (SDS) in early-onset dementia. Sixteen bvFTD and 18 early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD) participants received standard clinical neuropsychological measures and neuroimaging. Caregiver informants were administered the SDS. Individuals with bvFTD exhibited greater social dysfunction on the SDS compared with the EOAD group; t(32) = 6.32, p < .001. The scale demonstrated preliminary evidence for discriminating these frequently misdiagnosed groups (area under the curve = 0.920, p = <.001) and internal consistency α = 0.977. The SDS demonstrated initial evidence as an effective measure for detecting abnormal social behavior and discriminating bvFTD from EOAD. Future validation is recommended in larger and more diverse patient groups.

Total cholesterol and neuropsychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer's disease: the impact of total cholesterol level and gender

BACKGROUND

Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) are a major factor in nursing home placement and a primary cause of stress for caregivers. Elevated cholesterol has been linked to psychiatric disorders and has been shown to be a risk factor for AD and to impact disease progression. The present study investigated the relationship between cholesterol and NPS in AD.

METHODS

Data on cholesterol and NPS from 220 individuals (144 females, 76 males) with mild-to-moderate AD from the Texas Alzheimer's Research and Care Consortium (TARCC) cohort were analyzed. The total number of NPS and symptoms of hyperactivity, psychosis, affect and apathy were evaluated. Groups based on total cholesterol (TC; ≥200 vs. <200 mg/dl) were compared with regard to NPS. The impact of gender was also assessed.

RESULTS

Individuals with high TC had lower MMSE scores as well as significantly more NPS and more symptoms of psychosis. When stratified by gender, males with high TC had significantly more NPS than females with high TC or than males or females with low TC.

CONCLUSION

The role of elevated cholesterol in the occurrence of NPS in AD appears to be gender and symptom specific. A cross-validation of these findings will have implications for possible treatment interventions, especially for males with high TC.

Clinical staging of semantic dementia in an FDG-PET study using FTLD-CDR

BACKGROUND

The frontotemporal lobar degeneration-specific clinical dementia rating (FTLD-CDR), which was recently developed to measure frontotemporal dementia (FTD) severity, includes 2 items that assess language and behavior in addition to the 6 items of the conventional CDR.

METHODS

To investigate which of the 3 ratings, i.e. the global score of the CDR (GCDR), the behavioral domain score of the FTLD-CDR (BCDR), or the language domain score of the FTLD-CDR (LCDR), is most suitable for monitoring the progression of semantic dementia (SD), the number of hypometabolic voxels was calculated by comparing 28 SD patients in each stage of the 3 ratings with 63 age/sex-matched controls using voxel-based statistical parametric mapping.

RESULTS

The hypometabolic areas increased as a function of the LCDR score in SD patients. However, hypometabolic areas associated with the GCDR did not increase gradually as the stage increased. Furthermore, those associated with the BCDR showed the reverse pattern.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that the severity and patterning of glucose hypometabolism measured by the LCDR correspond well with the natural course of SD reported in previous clinical and neuroimaging studies, whereas the BCDR and GCDR did not reflect disease progression in SD.