BACKGROUND: Compared to late-onset dementias, early-onset dementias (EODs) may have greater focal cognitive involvement with differences in frontal-executive compared to posterior-perceptual deficits. OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated whether mental status screening based on this frontal-posterior axis can distinguish EODs. METHODS: Twenty-three patients each with early-onset Alzheimer's disease (eAD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), or subcortical ischemic vascular disease (SIVD), and 20 normal controls underwent the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) and the Perceptual Assessment Battery (PAB). RESULTS: Compared to controls, SIVD and FTD groups were impaired on the FAB whereas eAD and SIVD groups were impaired on the PAB. The FAB/PAB ratio further differentiated the groups (F(3,85) = 26.49, P < .001). For sensitivities and specificities of 93%, a cut-off score of 1.25 on the FAB/PAB distinguished eAD, and a cut-off of 0.83 distinguishing FTD. CONCLUSION: Although preliminary, this study indicates that mental status screening based on frontal versus posterior cortical functions may help clinicians diagnose EODs.
BACKGROUND: Compared to late-onset dementias, early-onset dementias (EODs) may have greater focal cognitive involvement with differences in frontal-executive compared to posterior-perceptual deficits. OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated whether mental status screening based on this frontal-posterior axis can distinguish EODs. METHODS: Twenty-three patients each with early-onset Alzheimer's disease (eAD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), or subcortical ischemic vascular disease (SIVD), and 20 normal controls underwent the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) and the Perceptual Assessment Battery (PAB). RESULTS: Compared to controls, SIVD and FTD groups were impaired on the FAB whereas eAD and SIVD groups were impaired on the PAB. The FAB/PAB ratio further differentiated the groups (F(3,85) = 26.49, P < .001). For sensitivities and specificities of 93%, a cut-off score of 1.25 on the FAB/PAB distinguished eAD, and a cut-off of 0.83 distinguishing FTD. CONCLUSION: Although preliminary, this study indicates that mental status screening based on frontal versus posterior cortical functions may help clinicians diagnose EODs.
Authors: Katya Rascovsky; John R Hodges; David Knopman; Mario F Mendez; Joel H Kramer; John Neuhaus; John C van Swieten; Harro Seelaar; Elise G P Dopper; Chiadi U Onyike; Argye E Hillis; Keith A Josephs; Bradley F Boeve; Andrew Kertesz; William W Seeley; Katherine P Rankin; Julene K Johnson; Maria-Luisa Gorno-Tempini; Howard Rosen; Caroline E Prioleau-Latham; Albert Lee; Christopher M Kipps; Patricia Lillo; Olivier Piguet; Jonathan D Rohrer; Martin N Rossor; Jason D Warren; Nick C Fox; Douglas Galasko; David P Salmon; Sandra E Black; Marsel Mesulam; Sandra Weintraub; Brad C Dickerson; Janine Diehl-Schmid; Florence Pasquier; Vincent Deramecourt; Florence Lebert; Yolande Pijnenburg; Tiffany W Chow; Facundo Manes; Jordan Grafman; Stefano F Cappa; Morris Freedman; Murray Grossman; Bruce L Miller Journal: Brain Date: 2011-08-02 Impact factor: 13.501