The Pitfall of Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia Mimics Despite Multidisciplinary Application of the FTDC Criteria

Abstract

In almost half of cases, the initial bvFTD diagnosis was changed after follow-up, most often into a psychiatric disorder. A multidisciplinary neuropsychiatric approach in the diagnostic process of bvFTD results in the identification of treatable disorders. Our findings illustrate a limited specificity of the [18F]FDG-PET-scan and the bvFTD criteria in a neuropsychiatric cohort, especially combined with certain clinical symptoms, like disinhibition, apathy, or loss of empathy.