"Frontal variant Alzheimer's disease": a reappraisal.
Two cases of clinically diagnosed sporadic Alzheimer's disease with early and prominent behavioural features (social disinhibition, emotional blunting, stereotyped verbal utterances) sufficient to prompt an initial diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia are presented. It is suggested that the term "frontal variant AD" be used for this clinically defined phenotype, which has also been described in cases of inherited AD associated with certain presenilin-1 gene mutations. This differs from previous usage of the term "frontal variant AD" to describe AD with predominant frontal lobe neuropathological change (although the clinical phenotype may reflect regional distribution of pathology), but parallels the clinical definition of visual agnosic, aphasic and apraxic presentations of AD. The proposed usage would also emphasise differential diagnosis.
Larner
Andrew J
AJ
Cognitive Function Clinic, Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Lower Lane, Fazakerley, Liverpool L9 7LJ, UK. a.larner@thewaltoncentre.nhs.uk
D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D001526:Behavioral Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D018450:Disease Progression; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D019965:Neurocognitive Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009460:Neurologic Examination / Q000592:standards; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000592:standards; D009770:Obsessive Behavior / Q000209:etiology; D053764:Presenilin-1 / Q000235:genetics; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D017211:Treatment Failure
D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors; D053764:Presenilin-1