Sleep in frontotemporal dementia is equally or possibly more disrupted, and at an earlier stage, when compared to sleep in Alzheimer's disease.
BACKGROUND
Conversely to other neurodegenerative diseases (i.e., Alzheimer's disease, AD), sleep in frontotemporal dementia (FTD) has not been studied adequately. Although some evidence exists that sleep-wake disturbances occur in FTD, very little is known regarding sleep macrostructure and/or primary sleep disorders.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate these issues in this population and compare them to similar issues in AD and in healthy elderly (HE).


METHODS
Twelve drug-naïve behavioral-variant FTD (bvFTD) patients (7 men/5 women) of mean age 62.5 ± 8.6 years were compared to seventeen drug-naïve AD patients (8 men/9 women) of mean age 69.0 ± 9.9 years and twenty drug-naïve HE (12 men/8 women) of mean age 70.2 ± 12.5 years. All participants were fully assessed clinically, through a sleep questionnaire, an interview, and video-polysomnography recordings.


RESULTS
The two patient groups were comparably cognitively impaired. However, compared to FTD patients, the AD patients had a statistically significant longer disease duration. Overall, the sleep profile was better preserved in HE. Sleep complaints did not differ considerably between the two patient groups. Sleep parameters and sleep macrostructure were better preserved in AD compared to FTD patients, regardless of primary sleep disorders, which occurred equally in the two groups.


CONCLUSIONS
With respect to AD, FTD patients had several sleep parameters similarly or even more affected by neurodegeneration, but in a much shorter time span. The findings probably indicate a centrally originating sleep deregulation. Since in FTD patients sleep disturbances may be obvious from an early stage of their disease, and possibly earlier than in AD patients, physicians and caregivers should be alert for the early detection and treatment of these symptoms.
University of Athens Medical School, Department of Neurology, 1$^{st}$ Neurological Clinic, Eginition Hospital, Athens, Greece University of Athens Medical School, Sleep Study Unit, Eginition Hospital, Athens, Greece Critical Care and Pulmonary Services, Center of Sleep Disorders, Evangelismos Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Anastasios
A
Bonakis
Nicholas-Tiberio
NT
Economou
Thomas
T
Paparrigopoulos
Enrica
E
Bonanni
Michelangelo
M
Maestri
Luca
L
Carnicelli
Elisa
E
Di Coscio
Periklis
P
Ktonas
Emmanouil
E
Vagiakis
Panagiotis
P
Theodoropoulos
Sokratis G
SG
Papageorgiou
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D057180:Frontotemporal Dementia / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D017286:Polysomnography; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014743:Videotape Recording
Alzheimer's disease; dementia; frontotemporal dementia; sleep