title: Muscle sympathetic nerve activity in frontotemporal lobar degeneration is similar to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) is associated with similar cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction to that seen in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), we compared cardiovascular parameters between ALS patients and patients with FTLD.
  
  
  METHODS
  In ten patients with FTLD (mean age ± SD: 71.6 ± 4.6 years) and 12 patients with ALS (mean age ± SD: 71.4 ± 4.6 years), MSNA (using microneurography), heart rate (HR), and blood pressure (BP) were recorded simultaneously.
  
  
  RESULTS
  MSNA was significantly higher in both groups of patients compared with the controls (p < 0.01), while there were no significant differences in MSNA between the patients with FTLD and those with ALS. During head-up tilt, changes in HR, BP, and the frequency of MSNA bursts were smaller in the patients than in controls (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with FTLD and ALS showed similar dysfunction of HR, BP, and sympathetic outflow to muscles.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Yamanashi Hospital, 1110 Tamaho, Yamanashi, 409-3898, Japan. kshindo@yamanashi.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Kazumasa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shindo
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Yamanashi Hospital, 1110 Tamaho, Yamanashi, 409-3898, Japan.
authors.forename: Michiaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miwa
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Yamanashi Hospital, 1110 Tamaho, Yamanashi, 409-3898, Japan.
authors.forename: Fumikazu
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Yamanashi Hospital, 1110 Tamaho, Yamanashi, 409-3898, Japan.
authors.forename: Takamura
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nagasaka
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Yamanashi Hospital, 1110 Tamaho, Yamanashi, 409-3898, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshihisa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takiyama
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D057174:Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000294:innervation*; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology*
keywords: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; Blood pressure; Frontotemporal lobar degeneration; Muscle sympathetic nerve activity; Sympathetic overactivity