Affiliations: [a] Department of Neurosciences (DNS), Neurology Clinic, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| [b] Department of Neurosciences, Psychology, Pharmacology and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), University of Florence, Firenze, Italy
| [c] Department of Neurosciences (DNS) Psychiatric Unit, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| [d] Department of Education and Humanities, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
| [e] Department of Medicine, Nuclear Medicine Unit, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
Correspondence:
[*]
Correspondence to: Annachiara Cagnin, Department of Neurosciences (DNS), University of Padova Medical
School, Via Giustiniani 5, 35128 Padova, Italy. Tel.: +39 49 8213600; Fax: +39 49 8751770;
E-mail: annachiara.cagnin@unipd.it.
Abstract: Behavioral and cognitive variables predicting behavioral frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) versus primary psychiatric disorders mimicking bvFTD (phenocopy syndrome: bvFTD-PS) were studied. Forty-one probable/definite bvFTD and 16 bvFTD-PS patients were evaluated with cognitive battery, Neuropsychiatric Inventory, and Stereotypic and Ritualistic Behavior-revised questionnaires. Twenty-seven healthy subjects served as control. Severity of cognitive impairment/behavioral symptoms and profile of cognitive deficits were similar, with bvFTD-PS showing impaired executive abilities and memory. However, phonemic fluency was impaired only in bvFTD (p < 0.001). Depression was worse in bvFTD-PS, while apathy, disinhibition, and dietary changes characterized bvFTD. Phonemic fluency and depression accounted for the best predictive diagnostic model. A structured psychiatric screening of bvFTD mimickers may often yield a psychiatric diagnosis with predominant depressive symptoms and therefore a potentially treatable condition.
