title: Observation of social behavior in frontotemporal dementia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The most characteristic manifestations of behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) are abnormalities in social behavior. However, distinguishing bvFTD based on social behavior can be difficult in structured clinical settings.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a Social Observation Inventory, 10 patients with bvFTD and 10 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) were compared to their caregiver interlocutors on 1-hour mealtime, in-home videotaped segments.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to caregivers and patients with AD, patients with bvFTD were significantly disturbed in social behavior. In contrast, patients with AD were indistinguishable from their caregivers. The lack of "you" comments and decreased tact and manners distinguished 92.6% of the patients with bvFTD from patients with AD and caregivers. The Social Observation Inventory scores correlated with scores on frontal-executive tests and socioemotional scales.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The systematic observation of social behavior during routine activities may be one of the best ways to distinguish patients with bvFTD from normal individuals and from patients with other dementias.
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, The University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Mario F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Mendez
authors.forename: Sylvia S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Fong
authors.forename: Jill S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Shapira
authors.forename: Elvira E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Jimenez
authors.forename: Natalie C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Kaiser
authors.forename: Sarah A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Kremen
authors.forename: Po-Heng
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Tsai
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D057180:Frontotemporal Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012919:Social Behavior
keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; autism; dementia; frontotemporal lobar degeneration; social behavior