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Differentiating sporadic frontotemporal dementia from late-onset primary psychiatric disorders
Sterre C.M. de Boer, Lina Riedl, Simon Braak, Chiara Fenoglio, David Foxe, James Carrick, Ramón Landín-Romero, Sophie Matis et al.. Brain Communications, 2025-01-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Abstract Sporadic behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) is often misdiagnosed as late-onset primary psychiatric disorder (PPD) due to overlapping symptoms and lack of biomarkers. We aimed to identify clinical features that distinguish sporadic bvFTD from PPD. Multi-centre baseline data were retrospectively retrieved and categorized into neuropsychological domains. Logistic regression models and receiver operating characteristic curves were conducted to determine discriminators. Data from 508 sporadic bvFTD and 152 PPD cases were included. Higher scores in cognitive screening [odds ratio (OR): 1.23], facial emotion processing (OR: 1.69), episodic memory (OR: 1.09), animal fluency (OR: 1.17), working memory (OR: 1.18), letter fluency (OR: 1.17) and depressive symptoms (OR: 7.41) were significantly associated with PPD (all Ps ≤ 0.010). Within a combined model, higher scores of letter fluency (OR: 1.47), cognitive screening (OR: 1.72) and lower attention (OR: 0.77) were significantly (all Ps ≤ 0.05) associated with PPD (area under the curve = 0.771). Neuropsychological measurements—letter fluency, cognitive screening and attention—can help distinguish sporadic bvFTD from late-onset PPD. Depressive symptoms and facial emotion processing emerged as potential discriminators, warranting further exploration.
Key findings
- Higher scores in cognitive screening [odds ratio (OR): 1.23], facial emotion processing (OR: 1.69), episodic memory (OR: 1.09), animal fluency (OR: 1.17), working memory (OR: 1.18), letter fluency (OR: 1.17) and depressive symptoms (OR: 7.41) were significantly associated with PPD (all Ps ≤ 0.010).
- Within a combined model, higher scores of letter fluency (OR: 1.47), cognitive screening (OR: 1.72) and lower attention (OR: 0.77) were significantly (all Ps ≤ 0.05) associated with PPD (area under the curve = 0.771).
Why it matters
This study found that certain neuropsychological measurements, such as letter fluency, cognitive screening and attention, can help tell sporadic behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia apart from late-onset primary psychiatric disorders. These are diagnostic aids only and do not point to a treatment, cure or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
Study details
- Effect sizeOR: 1.69; OR: 1.09; OR: 1.17
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 45/100
Published in a leading specialty journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Brain Communications) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | Brain Communications: journal h-index 67 (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 | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 3 / 3 | Effect reported with a statistic (interval, p-value, ratio or similar) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 2 / 7 | Cited 5 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 1.7 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 3.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 5 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Olivier Piguet: h-index 76 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | The University of Sydney: institution h-index 1,466 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 3 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 12 institution(s) in 5 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40488179) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 45 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcaf199
- PubMed: 40488179
- Original source →
- Free full text: Brain Communications →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
de Boer, S. C., Riedl, L., Braak, S., Fenoglio, C., Foxe, D., Carrick, J., et al. (2025). Differentiating sporadic frontotemporal dementia from late-onset primary psychiatric disorders. Brain Communications. https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcaf199
Vancouver
de Boer SC, Riedl L, Braak S, Fenoglio C, Foxe D, Carrick J, et al. Differentiating sporadic frontotemporal dementia from late-onset primary psychiatric disorders. Brain Communications. 2025. doi:10.1093/braincomms/fcaf199. PMID: 40488179.
BibTeX
@article{deboer2025-40488179,
author = {de Boer, Sterre C.M. and Riedl, Lina and Braak, Simon and Fenoglio, Chiara and Foxe, David and Carrick, James and Landín-Romero, Ramón and Matis, Sophie and others},
title = {{Differentiating sporadic frontotemporal dementia from late-onset primary psychiatric disorders}},
journal = {Brain Communications},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1093/braincomms/fcaf199},
pmid = {40488179},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcaf199}
}
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