Posterior cortical atrophy. Neuropathologic correlations.
OBJECTIVE
A subgroup of patients with progressive dementia has been reported with a marked predominance of symptoms attributed to the dysfunction of the posterior parieto-occipital cortex. These cases have been referred to as posterior cortical atrophy. The objective of this study was to determine whether posterior cortical atrophy is associated with distinct, uniform neuropathologic findings.


METHODS
Three individuals with progressive dementia that began with higher visual dysfunction (posterior cortical atrophy) were followed up to definitive neuropathologic diagnosis.


RESULTS
Three separate neuropathologic entities were discovered: subcortical gliosis, Alzheimer's disease, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.


CONCLUSIONS
Posterior cortical atrophy is a clinically homogeneous but pathologically heterogeneous syndrome.
Victoroff
J
J
Department of Neurology, UCLA School of Medicine.
Ross
G W
GW
Benson
D F
DF
Verity
M A
MA
Vinters
H V
HV
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000473:pathology; D001284:Atrophy; D007562:Creutzfeldt-Jakob Syndrome / Q000473:pathology; D003704:Dementia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D005911:Gliosis / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009778:Occipital Lobe / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*