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Neuropsychological performance of right- and left-frontotemporal dementia compared to Alzheimer's disease

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 May 2001

JILL RAZANI
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
KYLE BRAUER BOONE
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
BRUCE L. MILLER
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco
ALISON LEE
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
DALE SHERMAN
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center

Abstract

The performance of 16 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) was compared to 11 patients with right-frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and 11 patients with left-FTD on a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. Standardized scores (i.e., z scores based on normal control data) were analyzed for 5 cognitive domains. The results revealed that the AD group displayed significant impairment in visual–constructional ability relative to the two FTD groups; however, no significant difference was found between the groups on memory scores (verbal and nonverbal). Patients with left-FTD scored significantly below patients with AD on the language measures (e.g., word retrieval, verbal semantic memory), and verbal executive ability (phonemic fluency); AD patients did not differ from patients with right-FTD on these measures. Patients with right-FTD exhibited significantly more perseverative behavior than AD patients; AD patients did not differ from left-FTD patients on this parameter. These results indicate that the pattern of neuropsychological performance of AD patients is distinguishable from patients with left and right frontal frontotemporal dementia. (JINS, 2001, 7, 468–480)

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2001 The International Neuropsychological Society

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