title: The Peripheral Sympathetic Neuron is Intact in Alzheimer's Disease and Behavioral Variant of Frontotemporal Dementia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The study was undertaken to evaluate the postganglionic sympathetic sudomotor function employing the quantitative sudomotor axon reflex test (QSART) in tauopathies Alzheimer's disease (AD) and behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients were recruited in a prospective pilot study. A structured history was taken and QSART was recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all, 15 patients with AD (7 female) and 14 patients with bvFTD (9 female) were included. Mean age (±standard deviation) of patients with AD and bvFTD was 74 ± 9 and 71 ± 10 years, respectively. Severe sudomotor dysfunction (Composite Autonomic Severity sudomotor score 3) was present in 3 (20%) patients with AD and 0 (0%) patients with bvFTD (P = .037). The upper extremity was only involved in 1 patient with AD and 1 patient with bvFTD. Sweat results of the 4 recording sites did not differ between both groups. Patients' history correlated with severe autonomic symptoms as assessed with QSART.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Postganglionic sudomotor involvement in AD and bvFTD is most likely not part of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Autonomic Unit, Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria walter.struhal@akh.linz.at.
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Struhal
authors.affiliation: Autonomic Unit, Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria.
authors.forename: Andrija
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Javor
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Statistics, Vienna Medical University, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Benesch
authors.affiliation: Autonomic Unit, Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria.
authors.forename: Milan R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Vosko
authors.affiliation: Autonomic Unit, Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria.
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ransmayr
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D059329:Cholinergic Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D057180:Frontotemporal Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005728:Ganglia, Sympathetic / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017933:Peripheral Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013545:Sweat Glands / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Alzheimer’s dementia; autonomic nervous system; dementia; frontotemporal; postganglionar cholinergic system; sudomotor function; sympathetic