Affiliations: [a] Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| [b] Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| [c] Neurobehavior Unit, V.A. Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Correspondence:
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Correspondence to: Mario F. Mendez, MD, PhD, Neurobehavior (691/116AF), V.A. Greater Los Angeles Healthcare Center, 11301 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90073 USA. Tel.: +1 310 478 3711x42696; Fax: +1 310 268 4181; E-mail: mmendez@ucla.edu.
Abstract: Background:Many patients with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease (EOAD; age of onset <65 years) have non-amnestic presentations involving language (logopenic primary progressive aphasia, lvPPA), visuospatial abilities (posterior cortical atrophy, PCA), and even asymmetric symptoms consistent with corticobasal syndrome (CBS). An inferior parietal lobule variant of EOAD commonly presents with progressive difficulty with calculations. Methods:We reviewed 276 EOAD patients for presentations with predominant acalculia. These patients were diagnosed with clinically probable Alzheimer’s disease (AD) verified by positron emission tomography (PET) or cerebrospinal fluid amyloid-β or tau biomarkers. Results:We identified 18 (9M/9F) (6.5%) EOAD patients with progressive acalculia that did not meet most criteria for lvPPA, visual PCA, or CBS. Their ages of onset and presentation were 56.6 (5.0) and 59.4 (6.5), respectively. Their acalculia was consistent with a primary acalculia (“anarithmetia”) not explained by language or visuospatial impairments. Many also had anomia (14/18), ideomotor apraxia (13/18), and the complete Gerstmann’s syndrome (7/18). Visual analysis of their diverse magnetic resonance imaging disclosed biparietal atrophy, disproportionately worse on the left. Conclusions:Primary acalculia may be the most common manifestation of an inferior parietal presentation of EOAD affecting the left intraparietal sulcus. This parietal variant also commonly involves progressive anomia, ideomotor apraxia, and other elements of Gerstmann’s syndrome. The early recognition of patients with this variant, which is distinguishable from lvPPA, visual PCA, or CBS, would be facilitated by its recognition as a unique subtype of EOAD.
