[Psychopathological spectrum in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia]

The aim of this study was to describe the psychopathological spectrum of behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia.

The clinical pictures of 8 patients with a diagnosis of behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia are presented, focusing on psychopathological alterations, neurocognitive functioning and neuroimaging.

5 patients have a positive psychiatric history; from the psychopathological point of view, 5 patients mainly present an externalizing/disinhibited symptomatology and 3 patients mainly present an internalizing/apathetic symptomatology; the clinical onset is usually insidious, with a progressive course and a lack of insight related to behavioral and personality changes. From the cognitive point of view, 2 patients present a preserved neuropsychological profile, while 6 patients present several cognitive deficits, mainly episodic memory and executive functions, both dorsolateral and orbital. With regard to neuroimaging, a heterogeneous pattern emerged, with the majority of patients showing cortical atrophy and frontotemporal hypometabolism.

Behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia is clinically characterized by a wide spectrum of psychopathological alterations, including both an externalizing/disinhibited symptomatology and an internalizing/apathetic symptomatology. The neuropsychological assessment may detect early cognitive deficits, especially of prefrontal executive functions; the heterogeneity of neuroimaging findings suggests to add neuroimaging diagnostic criteria to actual behavioral diagnostic