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Asymmetry of post-mortem neuropathology in behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia
Irwin DJ, McMillan CT, Xie SX, Rascovsky K, Van Deerlin VM, Coslett HB, Hamilton R, Aguirre GK et al.. Brain : a journal of neurology, 2018-01-01
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Antemortem behavioural and anatomic abnormalities have largely been associated with right hemisphere disease in behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia, but post-mortem neuropathological examination of bilateral hemispheres remains to be defined. Analysis of the absolute value of the asymmetry index (i.e. degree of asymmetry independent of direction) revealed asymmetric pathology for both grey and white matter in all four regions sampled in frontototemporal degeneration patients with tau or TDP-43 pathology (P ≤ 0.01). Direct interhemispheric comparisons of regional pathology measurements within-subjects in the combined tauopathy and TDP-43 proteinopathy group found higher pathology in the right orbitofrontal grey matter compared to the left (P < 0.01) and increased pathology in ventrolateral temporal lobe grey matter of the left hemisphere compared to the right (P < 0.02). Exploratory clinicopathological correlations demonstrated an association of socially-inappropriate behaviours with asymmetric right orbitofrontal grey matter pathology, and reduced semantically-guided category naming fluency was associated asymmetric white matter pathology in the left ventrolateral temporal region. We conclude that pathologic disease burden is distributed asymmetrically in behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia, although not universally in the right hemisphere, and this asymmetry contributes to the clinical heterogeneity of the disorder.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Irwin, D. J., McMillan, C. T., Xie, S. X., Rascovsky, K., Van Deerlin, V. M., Coslett, H. B., et al. (2018). Asymmetry of post-mortem neuropathology in behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia. Brain : a journal of neurology. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awx319
Vancouver
Irwin DJ, McMillan CT, Xie SX, Rascovsky K, Van Deerlin VM, Coslett HB, et al. Asymmetry of post-mortem neuropathology in behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia. Brain : a journal of neurology. 2018. doi:10.1093/brain/awx319. PMID: 29228211.
BibTeX
@article{irwin2018-29228211,
author = {Irwin, D. J. and McMillan, C. T. and Xie, S. X. and Rascovsky, K. and Van Deerlin, V. M. and Coslett, H. B. and Hamilton, R. and Aguirre, G. K. and others},
title = {{Asymmetry of post-mortem neuropathology in behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia}},
journal = {Brain : a journal of neurology},
year = {2018},
doi = {10.1093/brain/awx319},
pmid = {29228211},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awx319}
}
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Key findings
- Antemortem behavioural and anatomic abnormalities have largely been associated with right hemisphere disease in behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia, but post-mortem neuropathological examination of bilateral hemispheres remains to be defined.
- Analysis of the absolute value of the asymmetry index (i.e. degree of asymmetry independent of direction) revealed asymmetric pathology for both grey and white matter in all four regions sampled in frontototemporal degeneration patients with tau or TDP-43 pathology (P ≤ 0.01).
- Direct interhemispheric comparisons of regional pathology measurements within-subjects in the combined tauopathy and TDP-43 proteinopathy group found higher pathology in the right orbitofrontal grey matter compared to the left (P < 0.01) and increased pathology in ventrolateral temporal lobe grey matter of the left hemisphere compared to the right (P < 0.02).
- Exploratory clinicopathological correlations demonstrated an association of socially-inappropriate behaviours with asymmetric right orbitofrontal grey matter pathology, and reduced semantically-guided category naming fluency was associated asymmetric white matter pathology in the left ventrolateral temporal region.
- We conclude that pathologic disease burden is distributed asymmetrically in behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia, although not universally in the right hemisphere, and this asymmetry contributes to the clinical heterogeneity of the disorder.
Why it matters
This post-mortem study found that brain pathology in behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia is distributed asymmetrically between the two hemispheres, not always worse on the right. It is a descriptive pathology study and does not test any treatment, cure or prevention.
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Study details
- Participants26
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 51/100
Published in a leading specialty journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Brain : a journal of neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Brain: journal h-index 503 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 2 / 5 | 2018 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 26 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 4 / 7 | Cited 77 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 7.7 citations a year over 10 year(s) since 2018 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 3.8× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 6 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 22 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Murray Grossman: h-index 119 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of Pennsylvania: institution h-index 1,859 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 29228211) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 51 / 100 | — |
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