A specific neuropsychological assessment shows promise.
Patients with the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) present with behavioral and interpersonal changes, and the disorder must be differentiated from depression. These researchers evaluated the usefulness of the Social Cognition and Emotional Assessment (SEA) in 37 patients with bvFTD, 19 patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), and 30 healthy controls.
Seventeen bvFTD patients had “early” disease, and 20 had moderate disease, as defined by a dementia rating scale. All participants also underwent standard neuropsychological tests. The SEA consists of five subtests; the researchers focused on the mini-SEA, which contains a facial-emotion recognition test and the Faux Pas recognition test that evaluates theory of mind. …
Reviewing Author
DisclosuresRoyaltiesTextbook of Traumatic Brain Injury, 2nd and 3rd editions
Editorial BoardsUpToDate; Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesNorth American Brain Injury Association (Board Member); National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (Chair of Data Monitoring Safety Board for study of donepezil on cognition after traumatic brain injury)
DisclosuresRoyaltiesTextbook of Traumatic Brain Injury, 2nd and 3rd editions
Editorial BoardsUpToDate; Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesNorth American Brain Injury Association (Board Member); National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (Chair of Data Monitoring Safety Board for study of donepezil on cognition after traumatic brain injury)