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=12

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=<p><bold>Introduction:</bold> Neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are highly prevalent and may complicate clinical managements.</p><p><bold>Objective:</bold> To test 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 and to investigate possible predictors of change in NPI scores.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> The sample consisted of 31 patients diagnosed with bvFTD and 28 patients with AD and their caregivers. 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 NPI were applied. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U test, Wilcoxon test, Chi square (χ<sup>2</sup>) test and Linear Regression Analysis were used.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> NPI total and caregiver distress scores 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. In the bvFTD group, age was the only independent predictor variable for the NPI total score at follow up. In the AD group, ACE-R and EXIT-25, conjunctively, were associated with the NPI total score at follow up.</p><p><bold>Conclusions:</bold> In 12 months, cognition declined and neuropsychiatric symptoms increased in bvFTD and AD groups. In the AD group only, cognitive impairment was a significant predictor of change in neuropsychiatric symptoms.</p>