title: Clinical characteristics of frontotemporal patients with symmetric brain atrophy.
abstract: In this paper we explored patterns of frontal and temporal asymmetry in frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and tried to isolate clinical correlates associated with asymmetry or lack thereof. Volumes of frontal and temporal lobes, hippocampus and entorhinal cortex were measured using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 10 patients with FTD. Age- and cranial size-specific values were computed through linear regression analysis (W-scores). A subgroup of 3 patients with symmetric frontal and temporal atrophy was identified. When compared to patients with asymmetric atrophy, the former had younger age at onset of the disease (p = 0.02), greater overall frontotemporal (p = 0.02) and greater entorhinal atrophy (p < 0.04). Two of the three patients were apolipoprotein E epsilon4 carriers versus none of the asymmetric patients (p = 0.02). The lack of asymmetry in this small sample of FTD patients was associated with greater brain atrophy, younger age at onset, and presence of the epsilon4 allele of apolipoprotein E. The presence of the epsilon4 allele is consistent with the hypothesis of greater vulnerability of the brain in epsilon4 carriers.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Epidemiology and Neuroimaging, IRCCS San Giovanni di Dio, FBF, via Pilastroni 4, 25125 Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boccardi
authors.forename: Mikko P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Laakso
authors.forename: Lorena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bresciani
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Geroldi
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Beltramello
authors.forename: Giovanni B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Frisoni
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000483:Alleles; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000378:metabolism*; D001284:Atrophy / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010091:Oximes; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon
chemical_list: D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D010091:Oximes; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; C068296:hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime