[Emotional, affective and behavioral disorders in a behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia]

To determine the prevalence and severity of non-cognitive nervous and psychiatric disorders (NNPD) in a behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia.

Twenty-nine patients with BVFTD, aged from 41 to 73 years (mean 60.7±8.1 years), were studied. All patients underwent neurological and neuropsychological examinations. NNPD were assessed using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (J. Cummings et al). Twenty-seven patients underwent brain MRI with T1, T2 and FLAIR sequences.

The most clinically significant symptoms of NNPD were apathy, behavioral disinhibition, eating disorders, abnormal motor activity and euphoria. Irritability, sleep disorders and excitement were less frequent. Anxiety and depression were identified in 13.8 and 20.7% of the patients, respectively. The severity of NNPD can increase and their spectrum can be qualitatively changed with the disease progression that indicates the spread of the neurodegenerative process.

Patients with BVFTD had all NNPD with the exception of delusion and hallucinations. The character and degree of severity of some emotional, affective and behavioral disorders are associated with the predominant localization of the pathological process in frontal and temporal brain regions.