Rest-activity and behavioral disruption in a patient with frontotemporal dementia.

The neurological deterioration in dementia is associated with disturbances in circadian rhythms and rest-activity patterns. These disruptions have been documented in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and dementia with Lewy bodies but little is known about rest-activity patterns in patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). We report longitudinal (2 year) actigraphy results for a patient who met diagnostic criteria for FTD and his family caregiver. The subject and his family caregiver wore Actiwatches continuously for 2 weeks at 1-year intervals. The findings suggest that with disease progression there is worsening in multiple areas of rest-activity measures for the patient and a negative impact on sleep quality for the family caregiver.