Frontotemporal dementia with severe thalamic involvement: a clinical and neuropathological study

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is the third-leading cause of cortical dementia after Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia, and is characterized by a dementia where behavioral disturbances are prominent and appear early in the course of the disease. We report the case of a 58 year-old man affected by dementia with behavioral disturbances, in addition to rigid-hypokinetic and a lower motor neuron syndrome that were present at later stages of the illness. Neuroimaging studies showed frontotemporal atrophy. Neuropathological studies revealed intense thalamic neuronal loss and astrocytic gliosis, as well as moderate frontotemporal neuronal loss, astrocytosis and spongiform degeneration. Thalamic degeneration has previously been described among the wide group of neuropathological features of FTD. The aim of the present study is to show the clinical and neuropathological aspects of thalamic degeneration in FTD, along with its role in behavioral disturbances, a common finding in this condition.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Radanovic,Márcia, Rosemberg,Sérgio, Adas,Rogério, Miranda,Stênio C., Caramelli,Paulo, Caixeta,Leonardo, Nitrini,Ricardo
Format: Digital revista
Language:English
Published: Academia Brasileira de Neurologia - ABNEURO 2003
Online Access:http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0004-282X2003000600008
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!