Home › Research › Caregiving
Changes in appetite, food preference, and eating habits in frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease
Ikeda M, Brown J, Holland AJ, Fukuhara R, Hodges JR.. Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry, 2002-10-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Background Despite numerous reports of changes in satiety, food preference, and eating habits in patients with frontotemporal dementia, there have been few systematic studies. Objectives To investigate the frequency of changes in eating behaviours and the sequence of development of eating behaviours in frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease, using a caregiver questionnaire. Methods Three groups of patients were studied: frontal variant frontotemporal dementia (fv-FTD) (n = 23), semantic dementia (n = 25), and Alzheimer's disease (n = 43). Level of education and dementia severity was similar in the three groups. The questionnaire consisted of 36 questions investigating five domains: swallowing problems, appetite change, food preference, eating habits, and other oral behaviours. Results The frequencies of symptoms in all five domains, except swallowing problems, were higher in fv-FTD than in Alzheimer's disease, and changes in food preference and eating habits were greater in semantic dementia than in Alzheimer's disease. In semantic dementia, the developmental pattern was very clear: a change in food preference developed initially, followed by appetite increase and altered eating habits, other oral behaviours, and finally swallowing problems. In fv-FTD, the first symptom was altered eating habits or appetite increase. In Alzheimer's disease, the pattern was not clear although swallowing problems developed in relatively early stages. Conclusions Change in eating behaviour was significantly more common in both of the frontotemporal dementia groups than in Alzheimer's disease. It is likely that the changing in eating behaviours reflects the involvement of a common network in both variants of frontotemporal dementia-namely, the ventral (orbitobasal) frontal lobe, temporal pole, and amygdala.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Ikeda, M., Brown, J., Holland, A. J., Fukuhara, R., & Hodges, JR. (2002). Changes in appetite, food preference, and eating habits in frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1136/jnnp.73.4.371
Vancouver
Ikeda M, Brown J, Holland AJ, Fukuhara R, Hodges JR. Changes in appetite, food preference, and eating habits in frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry. 2002. doi:10.1136/jnnp.73.4.371. PMID: 12235302.
BibTeX
@article{ikeda2002-12235302,
author = {Ikeda, M. and Brown, J. and Holland, A. J. and Fukuhara, R. and Hodges, JR.},
title = {{Changes in appetite, food preference, and eating habits in frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease}},
journal = {Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry},
year = {2002},
doi = {10.1136/jnnp.73.4.371},
pmid = {12235302},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1136/jnnp.73.4.371}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Results The frequencies of symptoms in all five domains, except swallowing problems, were higher in fv-FTD than in Alzheimer's disease, and changes in food preference and eating habits were greater in semantic dementia than in Alzheimer's disease.
- Conclusions Change in eating behaviour was significantly more common in both of the frontotemporal dementia groups than in Alzheimer's disease.
Why it matters
This caregiver questionnaire study found that changes in eating behaviour were significantly more common in frontotemporal dementia than in Alzheimer's disease. It also described a clear sequence of eating-related changes in semantic dementia, starting with altered food preference.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Caregiving →
Study details
- Participants23
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 52/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry: journal h-index 336 (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 | 1 / 5 | 2002 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 23 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 | 6 / 7 | Cited 498 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 19.2 citations a year over 26 year(s) since 2002 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 4.9× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 17 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 69 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Manabu Ikeda: h-index 51 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of Cambridge: institution h-index 1,973 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 12235302) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 52 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1136/jnnp.73.4.371
- PubMed: 12235302
- Original source →
- Free full text: Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here. Showing 12 of 14.
Later studies that cite this one
17 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references. Showing the 8 highest-scoring.
Related studies in Caregiving
Also tagged “biobank”
1,084 studies in the library carry the topic tag “biobank”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 1,084 tagged studies.