White matter disease contributes to apathy and disinhibition in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To relate changes in fractional anisotropy associated with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia to measures of apathy and disinhibition.

Background

Apathy and disinhibition are the 2 most common behavioral features of behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia, and these symptoms are associated with accelerated patient decline and caregiver stress. However, little is known about how white matter disease contributes to these symptoms.

Methods

We collected neuropsychiatric data, volumetric magnetic resonance imaging, and diffusion-weighted imaging in 11 patients who met published criteria for behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia and had an autopsy-validated cerebrospinal fluid profile consistent with frontotemporal lobar degeneration. We also colle

SUBMITTER: Powers JP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4296883 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature