@article{3160490,
    title = "Sleep in Frontotemporal Dementia is Equally or Possibly More Disrupted,
and at an Earlier Stage, When Compared to Sleep in Alzheimer's Disease",
    author = "Bonakis, Anastasios and Economou, Nicholas-Tiberio and Paparrigopoulos, and Thomas and Bonanni, Enrica and Maestri, Michelangelo and Carnicelli, and Luca and Di Coscio, Elisa and Ktonas, Periklis and Vagiakis, Emmanouil and and Theodoropoulos, Panagiotis and Papageorgiou, Sokratis G.",
    journal = "Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD",
    year = "2014",
    volume = "38",
    number = "1",
    pages = "85-91",
    publisher = "IOS Press BV",
    doi = "10.3233/JAD-122014",
    keywords = "Alzheimer’s disease; dementia; frontotemporal dementia; sleep",
    abstract = "Background: Conversely to other neurodegenerative diseases (i.e.,
Alzheimer’s disease, AD), sleep in frontotemporal dementia (FTD) has not
been studied adequately. Although some evidence exists that sleep-wake
disturbances occur in FTD, very little is known regarding sleep
macrostructure and/or primary sleep disorders.
Objective: To investigate these issues in this population and compare
them to similar issues in AD and in healthy elderly (HE).
Methods: Twelve drug-naive behavioral-variant FTD (bvFTD) patients (7
men/5 women) of mean age 62.5 +/- 8.6 years were compared to seventeen
drug-naive AD patients (8 men/9 women) of mean age 69.0 +/- 9.9 years
and twenty drug-naive HE (12 men/8 women) of mean age 70.2 +/- 12.5
years. All participants were fully assessed clinically, through a sleep
questionnaire, an interview, and video-polysomnography recordings.
Results: The two patient groups were comparably cognitively impaired.
However, compared to FTD patients, the AD patients had a statistically
significant longer disease duration. Overall, the sleep profile was
better preserved in HE. Sleep complaints did not differ considerably
between the two patient groups. Sleep parameters and sleep
macrostructure were better preserved in AD compared to FTD patients,
regardless of primary sleep disorders, which occurred equally in the two
groups.
Conclusions: With respect to AD, FTD patients had several sleep
parameters similarly or even more affected by neurodegeneration, but in
a much shorter time span. The findings probably indicate a centrally
originating sleep deregulation. Since in FTD patients sleep disturbances
may be obvious from an early stage of their disease, and possibly
earlier than in AD patients, physicians and caregivers should be alert
for the early detection and treatment of these symptoms."
}