Clinical Manifestations.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Gerontology
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) are complex tasks crucial for independent living.
• IADL impairments often precede formal dementia diagnosis, linked to cognitive decline.
• Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) exhibit distinct patterns of functional deficits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare everyday functioning and specific IADL impairments between FTD and AD dementia.
• To utilize the Peruvian adaptation of the Amsterdam IADL Questionnaire short version (A-IADL-Q-SV-P) for detailed activity analysis.
• To identify unique functional profiles in AD and FTD syndromes.

Main Methods:

• Recruited participants with AD and FTD (CDR 1-2) at the Instituto Peruano de Neurociencias.
• Employed the Spanish version of the A-IADL-Q-SV to assess IADL performance.
• Compared relative impairments in specific IADLs between AD and FTD groups using independent samples t-tests.

Main Results:

• Work, driving, and bill payment were the most impaired IADLs in both groups.
• FTD patients demonstrated significantly worse impairments in cooking and using appliances compared to AD patients.
• AD patients showed greater impairment in ATM cash withdrawals than FTD patients.

Conclusions:

• FTD is associated with more severe deficits in cooking and appliance use, likely due to early executive dysfunction.
• AD is linked to greater difficulties with financial management tasks like ATM withdrawals.
• Understanding these distinct functional profiles is vital for tailored care strategies for dementia patients and their caregivers.