Neural correlates of caregiver burden in cortical basal syndrome and frontotemporal dementia.
OBJECTIVE
To determine areas of atrophy in patients that are associated with caregiver burden.


METHODS
We measured caregiver burden, dementia and neuropsychiatric scores in 22 patients with corticobasal syndrome (CBS) and 25 with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and in 14 healthy controls. We used voxel-based morphometry to correlate caregiver burden with gray matter loss.


RESULTS
Increased dementia and behavioral disturbances contributed to higher burden scores in CBS patients, while behavioral disturbances alone significantly affected burden scores in frontal-variant FTD (FTD-fv) patients. In CBS patients, caregiver burden scores correlated with atrophy in left inferior and middle temporal gyri.


CONCLUSIONS
Caregivers of FTD-fv patients had significantly higher burden scores than caregivers of CBS patients. Damage to areas important in semantic knowledge appears critical in increased burden for CBS caregivers.
Knutson
K M
KM
Cognitive Neuroscience Section, National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-1440, USA.
Zamboni
G
G
Tierney
M C
MC
Grafman
J
J
D000368:Aged; D001480:Basal Ganglia Diseases / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D001519:Behavior; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003704:Dementia / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019359:Knowledge; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*