title: [Symptoms and imaging diagnostics of neurodegenerative dementia].
abstract: A variety of neurodegenerative diseases can underlie dementia syndromes. In addition to Alzheimer's disease (AD) and its prodromal stages, these include in particular frontotemporal degeneration, Lewy body dementia and Parkinson's dementia, progressive supranuclear paresis, corticobasal degeneration and chorea Huntington. Although not classified as a neurodegenerative brain disease, for all clinical diagnoses there must be a differential diagnostic separation from vascular forms of dementia. Furthermore an exclusion of affective disorders, such as minor depression is necessary from a clinical psychiatric perspective. Moreover the preclinical stages of AD often present with uncharacteristic symptoms. Especially affective symptoms can occur in addition to initial cognitive deficits such as memory decline. In summary, clinical and neuropsychological procedures together with functional imaging techniques allow a detailed diagnostic assessment of neurodegenerative dementia syndromes which can be additionally supported by neurochemical biomarkers and innovative imaging procedures, such as diffusion imaging or magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
authors: Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Universitätsklinikum Leipzig, AöR, Semmelweisstr 10, 04103 Leipzig, Deutschland. Peter.Schoenknecht@medizin.uni-leipzig.de
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Schönknecht
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Sattler
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Toro
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Essig
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D003704:Dementia / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging