Differentiating the frontal presentation of Alzheimer's disease with FDG-PET

Abstract

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) can present with behavioral changes with this syndrome described as frontal variant AD (FvAD). Excess frontal pathology may explain this presentation. Neuroimaging with fluoro-deoxy-glucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) can be used to examine the effects of pathology in FvAD. Methods: We administered an assessment scale for frontal behavioral impairment, the Frontal Behavioral Inventory (FBI), to 53 patients with AD. Scores in the top quartile were defined as FvAD. FDG-PET was analyzed in 8 frontal regions. Results: The Z (SD) score for metabolism was significantly higher (indicating greater hypometabolism) in the FvAD group than the remaining AD..