PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Matthias Pawlowski
AU  - Viktoria Joksch
AU  - Heinz Wiendl
AU  - Sven G Meuth
AU  - Thomas Duning
AU  - Andreas Johnen
TI  - Apraxia screening predicts Alzheimer pathology in frontotemporal dementia
AID  - 10.1136/jnnp-2018-318470
DP  - 2019 May 01
TA  - Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry
PG  - 562--569
VI  - 90
IP  - 5
4099  - http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/90/5/562.short
4100  - http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/90/5/562.full
SO  - J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry2019 May 01; 90
AB  - Objectives Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a heterogeneous clinical syndrome linked to diverse types of underlying neuropathology. Diagnosis is mainly based on clinical presentation and accurate prediction of underlying neuropathology remains difficult.Methods We present a large cohort of patients with FTD spectrum diseases (n=84). All patients were thoroughly characterised by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Alzheimer’s disease (AD) biomarkers, neuroimaging, neuropsychological testing and standardised apraxia screening.Results A potential AD pathology was found in 43% of patients with FTD. CSF AD biomarker levels positively correlated with AD-typical apraxia scores in patients with FTD. The discriminative power of apraxia test results indicative of AD pathology was high (sensitivity: 90%, specificity: 66%).Conclusions Apraxia is common in neurodegenerative dementias but under-represented in clinical workup and diagnostic criteria. Standardised apraxia screening may serve as bedside test to objectify an AD-typical apraxia profile as an early and robust sign of AD pathology in patients with FTD.