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Speech and language impairments in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia: A systematic review
Geraudie A, Battista P, García AM, Allen IE, Miller ZA, Gorno-Tempini ML, Montembeault M.. Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews, 2021-10-19
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Although behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) is classically defined by behavioral and socio-emotional changes, impairments often extend to other cognitive functions. These include early speech and language deficits related to the disease's core neural disruptions. Yet, their scope and clinical relevance remains poorly understood. This systematic review characterizes such disturbances in bvFTD, considering clinically, neuroanatomically, genetically, and neuropathologically defined subgroups. We included 181 experimental studies, with at least 5 bvFTD patients diagnosed using accepted criteria, comparing speech and language outcomes between bvFTD patients and healthy controls or between bvFTD subgroups. Results reveal extensive and heterogeneous deficits across cohorts, with (a) consistent lexico-semantic, reading & writing, and prosodic impairments; (b) inconsistent deficits in motor speech and grammar; and (c) relative preservation of phonological skills. Also, preliminary findings suggest that the severity of speech and language deficits might be associated with global cognitive impairment, predominantly temporal or fronto-temporal atrophy and MAPT mutations (vs C9orf72). Although under-recognized, these impairments contribute to patient characterization and phenotyping, while potentially informing diagnosis and management.
Key findings
- Results reveal extensive and heterogeneous deficits across cohorts, with (a) consistent lexico-semantic, reading & writing, and prosodic impairments; (b) inconsistent deficits in motor speech and grammar; and (c) relative preservation of phonological skills.
- Also, preliminary findings suggest that the severity of speech and language deficits might be associated with global cognitive impairment, predominantly temporal or fronto-temporal atrophy and MAPT mutations (vs C9orf72).
Why it matters
This systematic review found extensive and heterogeneous speech and language deficits in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia, with some preliminary links to brain atrophy and MAPT mutations. It concerns characterization of frontotemporal dementia, not treating, curing, or preventing Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Study designsystematic review
- Participants181
- Evidence strengthHigh
How this study scored 66/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a systematic review of all the studies on the question. Scored zero for effect reported because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews: journal h-index 375 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 12 / 12 | A systematic review of all the studies on the question |
| Strength of evidence | 5 / 5 | Rated “high” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 3 / 5 | 2021 — within 6 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 181 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 | A review of other studies — randomisation is not credited here |
| Times cited | 4 / 7 | Cited 79 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 11.3 citations a year over 7 year(s) since 2021 |
| Impact for its field and year | 2 / 6 | Cited 2.9× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 3 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 48 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Maxime Montembeault: h-index 22 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of California, San Francisco: institution h-index 1,915 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 7 institution(s) in 5 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 34673112) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 66 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
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 names 7 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Geraudie, A., Battista, P., García, A. M., Allen, I. E., Miller, Z. A., Gorno-Tempini, M. L., et al. (2021). Speech and language impairments in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia: A systematic review. Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.10.015
Vancouver
Geraudie A, Battista P, García AM, Allen IE, Miller ZA, Gorno-Tempini ML, et al. Speech and language impairments in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia: A systematic review. Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews. 2021. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.10.015. PMID: 34673112.
BibTeX
@article{geraudie2021-34673112,
author = {Geraudie, A. and Battista, P. and García, A. M. and Allen, I. E. and Miller, Z. A. and Gorno-Tempini, M. L. and Montembeault, M.},
title = {{Speech and language impairments in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia: A systematic review}},
journal = {Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews},
year = {2021},
doi = {10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.10.015},
pmid = {34673112},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.10.015}
}
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