Ch 20: What is frontotemporal dementia

Question 1

Frontotemporal dementia: 3 types

Answer 1

• behavioural variant (BV-FTD)
• semantic dementia (SD)
• progressive non-fluent aphasia (PNFA)

Question 2

Behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (BV-FTD)

Answer 2

• prominent changes in personality and social behaviour
• specific cognitive impairments
• language impairment

Question 3

BV-FTD: most important behavioural changes

Answer 3

1. decreased emotional involvement
2. emotional blunting
3. lack of initiative
4. apathy
5. impaired judgement
6. hyperactivity
7. restlessness

Question 4

BV-FTD: 3 subtypes

Answer 4

1. disinhibition, distractibility, hyperactivity
2. apathy, lack of initiative, behavioural withdrawal
3. stereotypy, compulsive behaviour

Question 5

Progressive non-fluent aphasia

Answer 5

isolated gradually progressive deterioration in language production
comprehension intact
first good insight into illness –> frustration/depression
later fase –> behavioral changes

Question 6

Semantic dementia (SD)

Answer 6

progressive disorder
multimodal breakdown of semantic knowledge
later behavioral changes (more compulsive than in BV-FTD)

Question 7

BV-FTD: cognitive impairments

Answer 7

• attention
• executive
• abstract thinking
• language
• social skills

Question 8

PNFA: cognitive impairments

Answer 8

language (phonology/syntax)

reading + writing

Question 9

Semantic dementia: cognitive impairments

Answer 9

• spontaneous language is fluent
• semantic understanding disturbed
• visual-perceptual disorders
• disorders only in semantic memory