Posterior cortical atrophy: clinical characteristics and differences compared to Alzheimer's disease
Mendez MF, Ghajarania M, Perryman KM.. Dementia and geriatric cognitive disorders, 2002-01-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Background Predominant and progressive complex visual disorders are often due to posterior cortical atrophy (PCA), a rare early-onset dementing syndrome presenting with visual complaints. In clinicopathological studies, PCA is most commonly considered a form of Alzheimer's disease (AD); no prior study has evaluated clinical differences between PCA and AD. Methods This study identified 15 patients who presented with progressive complex visual disorders and predominant occipitoparietal hypoperfusion on SPECT. These patients were retrospectively compared on clinical variables with 30 patients with clinically probable AD matched for gender, age and duration of illness. Results The PCA patients presented with alexia, elements of Balint's syndrome, apperceptive visual agnosia, dressing apraxia and environmental disorientation along with elements of Gerstmann's syndrome. Compared to the AD patients, the 15 PCA patients (mean age of onset 58 years, range 51-64) had significantly better verbal fluency, less memory difficulty, more depression and greater insight into their illness but similar familial and apolipoprotein E risk factors. In the PCA patients, MRI often showed occipitoparietal atrophy without detectable mesiotemporal atrophy. Conclusions PCA is a distinct clinical syndrome and not just AD with prominent visual deficits. Compared to AD controls, PCA patients have better language and memory but more insight and depression and more posterior atrophy on MRI. These results indicate clinical criteria for the diagnosis of PCA and recommend specific interventions such as visual aids and antidepressant medications. Similar risk factors and course suggest that PCA is most commonly an early-onset posteriorly shifted AD variant.
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APA 7th
Mendez, M. F., Ghajarania, M., & Perryman, K. M. (2002). Posterior cortical atrophy: clinical characteristics and differences compared to Alzheimer's disease. Dementia and geriatric cognitive disorders. https://doi.org/10.1159/000058331
Vancouver
Mendez MF, Ghajarania M, Perryman KM. Posterior cortical atrophy: clinical characteristics and differences compared to Alzheimer's disease. Dementia and geriatric cognitive disorders. 2002. doi:10.1159/000058331. PMID: 12053130.
BibTeX
@article{mendez2002-12053130,
author = {Mendez, M. F. and Ghajarania, M. and Perryman, K. M.},
title = {{Posterior cortical atrophy: clinical characteristics and differences compared to Alzheimer's disease}},
journal = {Dementia and geriatric cognitive disorders},
year = {2002},
doi = {10.1159/000058331},
pmid = {12053130},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1159/000058331}
}
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Key findings
- Results The PCA patients presented with alexia, elements of Balint's syndrome, apperceptive visual agnosia, dressing apraxia and environmental disorientation along with elements of Gerstmann's syndrome.
- Compared to the AD patients, the 15 PCA patients (mean age of onset 58 years, range 51-64) had significantly better verbal fluency, less memory difficulty, more depression and greater insight into their illness but similar familial and apolipoprotein E risk factors.
- Compared to AD controls, PCA patients have better language and memory but more insight and depression and more posterior atrophy on MRI.
- These results indicate clinical criteria for the diagnosis of PCA and recommend specific interventions such as visual aids and antidepressant medications.
- Similar risk factors and course suggest that PCA is most commonly an early-onset posteriorly shifted AD variant.
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Study details
- Participants15
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 43/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multi-centre collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 25 of the 58 points we could judge it on, which is 43 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Dementia and geriatric cognitive disorders) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| 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 | 15 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 | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 12053130) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 25 / 58 | Scored on 11 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 25 of the 58 points we could judge it on is 43 out of 100. |
| Total | 43 / 100 | — |
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