AUTHOR=Da Silva Thais Bento Lima , Ordonez Tiago Nascimento , Bregola Allan Gustavo , Bahia Valéria Santoro , Cecchini Mário Amore , Guimarães Henrique Cerqueira , Gambogi Leandro Boson , Caramelli Paulo , Balthazar Marcio Luiz Figueredo , Damasceno Benito Pereira , Brucki Sonia Maria Dozzi , de Souza Leonardo Cruz , Nitrini Ricardo , Yassuda Monica Sanches 

TITLE=Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease: A 12-Month Follow-Up Study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2021.728108

DOI=10.3389/fneur.2021.728108

ISSN=1664-2295

ABSTRACT=Introduction. Neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are highly prevalent and may complicate clinical managements. Objective:  We tested whether the Neuropsychiatry Inventory (NPI) could detect change in neuropsychiatric symptoms and caregiver´s distress in patients diagnosed with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) from baseline to a 12-month follow-up. Methods:  The sample consisted of 31 patients diagnosed with bvFTD and 28 patients with AD and their caregivers. A sociodemographic questionnaire, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Addenbrooke´s Cognitive Examination Revised (ACE-R), the INECO Frontal Screening (IFS), the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB), the Executive Interview (EXIT-25) and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) were used. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U test, Wilcoxon test, χ2 test and Linear Regression Analysis were used. Results: Neuropsychiatric symptoms total (NPI Total) and the caregiver Distress score were statistically higher among bvFTD patients at both assessment points. MMSE, ACE-R scores significantly declined and NPI Total and Distress scores significantly increased in both groups. Age was the only independent predictor variable for the NPI Total score in the bvFTD group in the follow up. In the AD group, ACE-R and EXIT-25, conjunctively, were associated with the NPI total score at follow up. Conclusions: Knowing how symptoms evolve over the course of the disease could help the clinician and the caregiver in decisions regarding future management and therapeutic approaches.