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Clinical Phenotype of Behavioral-Variant Frontotemporal Dementia Reversed by ECT: A Case Report
Benedict Breitling1, Claudia Bartels1, Claudia Lange1
1Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Goettingen, Georg-August-University, Goettingen, Germany.
Neuropsychobiology
|December 2, 2024
Summary
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) diagnosis is challenging, with no disease-modifying treatments available. This case study highlights electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) as a potential treatment for improving cognitive and affective symptoms in FTD.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) presents diagnostic challenges.
- Effective disease-modifying treatments for FTD are currently unavailable.
Observation:
- A patient with clinical and imaging findings consistent with FTD experienced affective and catatonic symptoms.
- Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) was administered to address these symptoms.
Findings:
- Following ECT, the patient demonstrated significant improvements in affective symptoms.
- Cognitive domains also showed enhancement, leading to better overall functioning.
- The patient tolerated ECT well with minimal adverse effects.
Implications:
- ECT may be a valuable therapeutic option for managing diverse symptoms in FTD.
- Focusing on symptomatic treatment is crucial given diagnostic difficulties and treatment limitations.
- This case suggests ECT's potential utility in behavioral variant FTD (bvFTD).
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