Functionality and cognitive performance in frontotemporal dementia

Abstract

Functional status has been highlighted as a new health paradigm, associated with independent living and better health among elderly, particularly those with dementia. It is noteworthy that some dementia profiles have been gaining attention due to their epidemiological importance, as is the case of frontotemporal dementia. There are few studies on functional changes in frontotemporal dementia in the elderly population. There are also few studies on the relationship between cognitive and functional performance in this population. To evaluate the functional and cognitive performance (with emphasis on Executive Functions) of elderly patients with a diagnosis of FTD, outpatients of a Neurology service. 30 patients diagnosed with FTD will be invited to participate in the study, aged 60 and over, with at least two years of education, with caregiver or family member available to participate. 30 normal controls aged 60 and older will also be recruited, who do not meet the criteria for exclusion, and who have no cognitive complaints. The following instruments will be applied: sociodemographic questionnaire, Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) of 15 items (Almeida and Almeida, 1999), objective functional assessment battery - Direct Assessment of Functional Status (DAFS-BR) (Loewenstein et al ., 1989, Pereira et al., 2010), Pfeffer Activities Questionnaire-PFAQ (Pfeffer, 1982), the cognitive battery Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD) (Morris et al., 1989, Bertolucci et al., 2001), the Executive Interview Executive Interview (EXIT-25) (Royall et al. 1992; Matioli and Caramelli, 2010), and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) (Cummings et al., 1994, Camozzato et al ., 2008). We expect to find a modest association between objective and subjective measures of functionality, and a strong association between functional measures and measures of executive functions. We also expect to find that the objective measure of functionality (DAFS-BR) will provide high accuracy for the identification of FTD. (AU)