title: Vestibular Impairment in Frontotemporal Dementia Syndrome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  No studies to date have attempted to evaluate frontotemporal lobar degeneration from the perspective of the vestibular system.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The present study examined vestibular function in patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) clinical syndrome and evaluated whether vestibular disorders are involved in the clinical symptoms due to FTD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fourteen patients with FTD syndrome, as well as healthy elderly controls without dementia, were included in the present study. All subjects underwent vestibular function tests using electronystagmography, such as caloric tests and visual suppression (VS) tests, in which the induced caloric nystagmus was suppressed by visual stimuli. The association between clinical symptoms and vestibular function in the FTD syndrome group was further examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the FTD syndrome group, caloric nystagmus was not necessarily suppressed during VS tests. Furthermore, VS was observed to be significantly impaired in FTD syndrome patients with gait disturbance as compared to those without such disturbance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study revealed that impairment of VS in patients with FTD results in an inability to regulate vestibular function by means of visual perception, regardless of multiple presumed neuropathological backgrounds. This could also be associated with gait disturbance in patients with FTD syndrome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Division of Clinical Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.
authors.forename: Kiyotaka
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakamagoe
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Division of Clinical Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.
authors.forename: Kotarou
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kadono
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Division of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.
authors.forename: Tadachika
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Koganezawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Division of Clinical Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.
authors.forename: Mao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takiguchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Division of Clinical Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Terada
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Division of Clinical Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.
authors.forename: Fumiko
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Division of Clinical Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Moriyama
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Division of Clinical Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.
authors.forename: Kumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yanagiha
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Division of Clinical Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.
authors.forename: Seitaro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nohara
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Division of Clinical Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tozaka
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Division of Clinical Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.
authors.forename: Zenshi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Miyake
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Division of Clinical Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aizawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Ryugasaki Saiseikai Hospital, Ryugasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: Kentaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Furusho
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Division of Clinical Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tamaoka
keywords: Caloric test; Frontal eye field; Frontotemporal dementia; Frontotemporal lobar degeneration; Inferior parietal lobule; Vestibular function; Vestibular stimulation; Visual suppression