Crossing Borders Between Frontotemporal Dementia and Psychiatric Disorders: An Updated Overview

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Vismara, Matteo^a | Cirnigliaro, Giovanna^a | Piccoli, Eleonora^a | Giorgetti, Federica^a | Molteni, Laura^a | Cremaschi, Laura^a | Fumagalli, Giorgio G.^b | D’addario, Claudio^c | Dell’Osso, Bernardo^{a; d; e; f; *}

Affiliations: [a] Department of Mental Health, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences Luigi Sacco, University of Milan, Milan, Italy | [b] Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda, Ospedale Policlinico, Milan, Italy | [c] Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy | [d] Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Bipolar Disorders Clinic, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA | [e] “Aldo Ravelli” Center for Neurotechnology and Brain Therapeutic, University of Milan, Milan, Italy | [f] “Centro per lo studio dei meccanismi molecolari alla base delle patologie neuro-psico-geriatriche”, University of Milan, Milan, Italy

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Prof. Bernardo Dell’Osso, Department of Psychiatry, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences “Luigi Sacco”, Psychiatry Unit 2, ASST Sacco-Fatebenefratelli, Via G.B. Grassi, 74, 20157, Milan, Italy. Tel.: +39 0239042803; E-mail: bernardo.dellosso@unimi.it.

Abstract: Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) includes a group of neurocognitive syndromes, clinically characterized by altered behaviors, impairment of language proficiency, and altered executive functioning. FTD is one of the most frequently observed forms of dementia in the elderly population and the most common in presenile age. As for other subtypes of dementia, FTD incidence is constantly on the rise due to the steadily increasing age of the population, and its recognition is now becoming a determinant for clinicians. FTD and psychiatric disorders can overlap in terms of clinical presentations by sharing a common genetic predisposition and neuropathological mechanism in some cases. Nonetheless, this association is often unclear and underestimated. Since its first reports, research into FTD has constantly grown, with the identification of recent findings related to its neuropathology, genetic, clinical, and therapeutic issues. Literature is thriving on this topic, with numerous research articles published in recent years. In the present review, we aimed to provide an updated description of the clinical manifestations that link and potentially confound the diagnosis of FTD and psychiatric disorders in order to improve their differential diagnosis and early detection. In particular, we systematically reviewed the literature, considering articles specifically focused on the behavioral variant FTD, published after 2015 on the PubMed database.

Keywords: Behavioral symptoms, bipolar disorder, differential diagnosis, frontotemporal lobar degeneration, frontotemporal lobe dementia, genetics, neuroimaging, psychiatric disorders, schizophrenia

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-191333

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 75, no. 2, pp. 661-673, 2020