title: Emotional quotient in frontotemporal dementia vs. Alzheimer's disease: the role of socioemotional agnosia.
abstract: Socioemotional dysfunction distinguishes behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) from other dementias. Patients with bvFTD not only have early social impairment and emotional blunting, but they also have agnosia of their socioemotional dysfunction.
  
  
  
  To investigate the relationship between agnosia and dysfunction, we assessed self-knowledge of socioemotional dysfunction with an emotional quotient (EQ) scale administered to 12 patients with bvFTD and a comparison group of 12 age-matched patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and compared these self-ratings to caregiver ratings of social dysfunction and emotional blunting.
  
  
  
  The bvFTD patients self-rated as having higher EQs than the AD patients, particularly higher self-ratings of their Social Skills, an EQ subscale which correlated with increased emotional blunting. On within-groups analysis, the bvFTD patients' high self-ratings of their EQ Appraisal of Emotions correlated with increased socioemotional dysfunction, whereas all of the AD patients' self-ratings correlated appropriately with their degree of dysfunction.
  
  
  
  Large socioemotional agnosia scores (EQ minus function) distinguishes bvFTD from AD. Additionally, in bvFTD, agnosia specifically for their ability to appreciate others' emotions correlates with the degree of socioemotional dysfunction, suggesting a role for socioemotional agnosia in increasing socioemotional dysfunction.
authors.affiliation: a V.A. Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System , Los Angeles , CA , USA.|b Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine , University of California , Los Angeles , CA , USA.
authors.forename: Andrew R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Carr
authors.affiliation: a V.A. Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System , Los Angeles , CA , USA.|b Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine , University of California , Los Angeles , CA , USA.|c Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine , University of California , Los Angeles , CA , USA.
authors.forename: Mersal S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Samimi
authors.affiliation: a V.A. Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System , Los Angeles , CA , USA.|b Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine , University of California , Los Angeles , CA , USA.|d Department of Psychiatry , Khon Kaen University , Khon Kaen , Thailand.
authors.forename: Pongsatorn
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Paholpak
authors.affiliation: a V.A. Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System , Los Angeles , CA , USA.|b Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine , University of California , Los Angeles , CA , USA.|e Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine , University of California , Los Angeles , CA , USA.
authors.forename: Elvira E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Jimenez
authors.affiliation: a V.A. Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System , Los Angeles , CA , USA.|b Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine , University of California , Los Angeles , CA , USA.|e Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine , University of California , Los Angeles , CA , USA.
authors.forename: Mario F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Mendez
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000377:Agnosia; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D002140:California; D005260:Female; D057180:Frontotemporal Dementia / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Socioemotional functioning; dementia; emotional intelligence; frontotemporal