Delusions in frontotemporal lobar degeneration.
We assessed the significance and nature of delusions in frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), an important cause of young-onset dementia with prominent neuropsychiatric features that remain incompletely characterised. The case notes of all patients meeting diagnostic criteria for FTLD attending a tertiary level cognitive disorders clinic over a three year period were retrospectively reviewed and eight patients with a history of delusions were identified. All patients underwent detailed clinical and neuropsychological evaluation and brain MRI. The diagnosis was confirmed pathologically in two cases. The estimated prevalence of delusions was 14%. Delusions were an early, prominent and persistent feature. They were phenomenologically diverse; however paranoid and somatic delusions were prominent. Behavioural variant FTLD was the most frequently associated clinical subtype and cerebral atrophy was bilateral or predominantly right-sided in most cases. We conclude that delusions may be a clinical issue in FTLD, and this should be explored further in future work.
Dementia Research Centre, Institute of Neurology, University College London, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK.
Rohani
R
Omar
Elizabeth L
EL
Sampson
Clement T
CT
Loy
Catherine J
CJ
Mummery
Nick C
NC
Fox
Martin N
MN
Rossor
Jason D
JD
Warren
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D003702:Delusions / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D003704:Dementia / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies