Presbyophrenia: a possible subtype of dementia

Presbyophrenia is characterized by memory impairment, disorientation, confabulation, hypomanic features, and a preserved social facade. These occur in the absence of prior history of alcoholism or affective illness. We present three cases with presbyophrenia and suggest that the syndrome is a recognizable subtype of dementia, possibly related to disruption of aminergic pathways in frontal and subcortical structures.