title: Pharmacological treatment of frontotemporal lobar degeneration: systematic review.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify the therapeutic options available for treatment of cognitive and behavioral symptoms in frontotemporal lobar degeneration.
  
  
  METHODS
  Systematic review using the descriptors "frontotemporal lobar degeneration" OR "frontotemporal dementia" OR "fronto-temporal dementia" OR "fronto-temporal degeneration" OR "Pick's disease" OR "Pick's atrophy" OR "semantic dementia" OR "progressive aphasia" AND "pharmacotherapy" OR "treatment" OR "efficacy" OR "effects" OR "management" was performed in the Medline and Lilacs databases.
  
  
  METHODS
  Quality A - randomized clinical trials. Quality B - open studies or reports of six or more cases. Quality C - reports of five or fewer cases. Two reviewers independently assessed the clinical studies. Information collected included diagnostic criteria used, sample size, duration, efficacy and tolerability measures used and results obtained.
  
  
  RESULTS
  From the 532 studies found, 29 complied with the inclusion criteria. All studies worked with a small sample, had short duration of treatment and used non-uniform measures in evaluating efficacy and tolerability. Studies showed disparate results with respect to behavior and cognition.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is still little, and poor, evidence available for treatment of frontotemporal lobar degeneration and studies with better methodological background are needed.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria da Glória
authors.initials: Mda G
authors.lastname: Portugal
authors.forename: Valeska
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Marinho
authors.forename: Jerson
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Laks
mesh_terms: D057180:Frontotemporal Dementia / Q000188:drug therapy; D057174:Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D020774:Pick Disease of the Brain / Q000188:drug therapy; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome