| Institution |
Neuromuscular Diseases Unit, Department of Neurology, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Center for Networked Biomedical Research into Rare Diseases (CIBERER), Madrid, Spain
Neurological Tissue Bank of the Biobanc Hospital Clínic IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain
Institute of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Memory Unit, Department of Neurology, and Sant Pau Biomedical Research Institute, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Center for Networked Biomedical Research into Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain
Alzheimer and Other Cognitive Disorders Unit, Department of Neurology, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom |
| Abstract |
Aim: To determine the motor phenotype and outcome in a clinically ascertained group of patients with motor neuron disease (MND) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Methods: This is an observational retrospective clinical study of patients fulfilling the clinical criteria for MND-FTD. A contemporary series of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) without dementia were included for comparison. Demographic, clinical, genetic, and neuropathological data were collected. A descriptive and comparative data analysis was performed. Results: We identified 22 patients with MND-FTD. Selective distal upper limb muscle weakness and atrophy with non-significant lower limb weakness during follow-up was the most frequent motor pattern, present in 18 patients – in 15 of them associated with severe dysphagia. Aspiration pneumonia was the most common cause of death (12/19; 63%) despite gastrostomy. One-third of the patients did not develop upper motor neuron dysfunction. When compared to classic ALS without dementia (n = 162), these features were significantly different. A neuropathological examination was performed on 7 patients, and it confirmed the presence of MND with TDP43 protein aggregates in all patients. Conclusions: The MND-FTD patients frequently displayed a distinctive motor pattern characterized by weakness and atrophy in distal upper limb muscles and dysphagia, with no or little spreading to other regions. These features may help to define specific subgroups of patients, which is important with regard to clinical management, outcome, and research.
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