Brain Advance Access published online on March 31, 2009
Brain, doi:10.1093/brain/awp041
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A neuropsychological battery to detect specific executive and social cognitive impairments in early frontotemporal dementia
1 Institute of Cognitive Neurology (INECO), Buenos Aires, Argentina 2 Institute of Neurosciences Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Correspondence to:
Facundo Manes, Institute of Cognitive Neurology (INECO), Castex 3293 (1425), Buenos Aires, Argentina E-mail: fmanes{at}neurologiacognitiva.org
Traditional cognitive tests may not be sensitive for the early detection of executive and social cognitive impairments in the behavioural variant of frontotemporal dementia. The aim of this study was to detect specific executive and social cognitive deficits in patients with early behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia using a battery of tests previously shown to be sensitive to frontal lobe dysfunction. Behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia patients and paired controls were assessed with a complete standard neuropsychological battery evaluating attention, memory, visuospatial abilities, language and executive functions. All participants were then assessed with our Executive and Social Cognition Battery, which included Theory of Mind tests (Mind in the Eyes, Faux Pas), the Hotel Task, Multiple Errands Task-hospital version and the Iowa Gambling Task for complex decision-making. Patients were divided into two groups according to their Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination scores, a measure of general cognitive status. Low Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination patients differed from controls on most tasks of the standard battery and the Executive and Social Cognition Battery. While high Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination patients did not differ from controls on most traditional neuropsychological tests, significant differences were found between this high-functioning behavioural variant of frontotemporal dementia group and controls on most measures of our Executive and Social Cognition Battery. Our results suggest that the Executive and Social Cognition Battery used in this study is more sensitive in detecting executive and social cognitive impairment deficits in early behavioural variant of frontotemporal dementia than the classical cognitive measures.
Key Words: frontotemporal dementia; neuropsychological assessment; executive function; frontal lobe
Abbreviations: FTD, frontotemporal dementia; MET, Multiple Errands Test; CDR, Clinical Dementia Severity Rating Scale; ACE, Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination; MMSE, Mini Mental State Exam; TMT-A, Trail Making Test Part A; FAB, Frontal Assessment Battery; ESCB, Executive and social cognition battery; IGT, Iowa gambling task; ROC, receiver operating characteristic; ACE, Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination
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Received May 11, 2008. Revised January 27, 2009. Accepted January 29, 2009.
*Present address: Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Medical Research Council, Cambridge, UK.
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