Torralva Teresa, Roca María, Gleichgerrcht Ezequiel, Bekinschtein Tristán, Manes Facundo
Institute of Cognitive Neurology (INECO), Castex 3293 (1425), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Brain. 2009 May;132(Pt 5):1299-309. doi: 10.1093/brain/awp041. Epub 2009 Mar 31.
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.
传统认知测试可能对行为变异型额颞叶痴呆患者执行功能和社会认知障碍的早期检测不够敏感。本研究旨在通过一系列先前已证明对额叶功能障碍敏感的测试，检测早期行为变异型额颞叶痴呆患者的特定执行功能和社会认知缺陷。行为变异型额颞叶痴呆患者和配对对照接受了一套完整的标准神经心理学测试，以评估注意力、记忆力、视觉空间能力、语言和执行功能。然后，所有参与者接受了我们的执行和社会认知测试组，其中包括心理理论测试（眼神心智、失礼测试）、酒店任务、多任务测试 - 医院版以及用于复杂决策的爱荷华赌博任务。根据阿登布鲁克认知检查得分（一种衡量总体认知状态的指标）将患者分为两组。低阿登布鲁克认知检查得分的患者在标准测试组和执行与社会认知测试组的大多数任务上与对照组存在差异。虽然高阿登布鲁克认知检查得分的患者在大多数传统神经心理学测试中与对照组没有差异，但在我们的执行和社会认知测试组的大多数指标上，这种高功能行为变异型额颞叶痴呆组与对照组之间存在显著差异。我们的结果表明，本研究中使用的执行和社会认知测试组在检测早期行为变异型额颞叶痴呆患者的执行和社会认知障碍缺陷方面比经典认知测量方法更敏感。
