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. 2024 Dec;124(6):1973-1980.
doi: 10.1007/s13760-024-02584-z. Epub 2024 Oct 25.

Regional cerebral blood flow in behavioral variant of FTD: hypoperfusion patterns and clinical associations

Eleni Konstantinopoulou  1 , Eleni Aretouli  2 , Chrissa Sioka  3 , Eleni Douli  4 , Petros Petrikis  5 , Ioannis Iakovou  6 , Panagiotis Ioannidis  7
Affiliations

Regional cerebral blood flow in behavioral variant of FTD: hypoperfusion patterns and clinical associations

Eleni Konstantinopoulou et al. Acta Neurol Belg. 2024 Dec.

Abstract

Background: Findings from functional neuroimaging techniques, such as single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), may add useful evidence improving Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) diagnosis. The aim of the present study was to investigate patterns of hypoperfusion in a group of patients diagnosed with the behavioral variant of FTD (bvFTD) and to explore the relationship between brain perfusion and clinical characteristics.

Materials and methods: Brain perfusion of 23 bvFTD patients was measured with SPECT scintigraphy in lobes and Brodmann areas (BAs) and the NeurogamTM software was used for image analysis. To assess behavioral disturbances and dementia severity, patients' informants completed the Frontotempotal Behavioral Inventory and the Frontotemporal Dementia Rating Scale. Descriptive statistics were used for the detection of pathological hypoperfusion in lobes and selected BAs. Associations among patients' clinical characteristics and perfusion in lobes were explored via non-parametric correlations.

Results: Participants presented pathological hypoperfusion in frontal, limbic and temporal lobes. The most prominent deficit was observed in limbic lobes, where all participants showed pathological hypoperfusion. Decreased perfusion was also observed in limbic, frontal and temporal BAs. Perfusion in the left and right frontal lobe was associated with behavioral disturbances and disease severity, which was also correlated with perfusion in right limbic, left and right temporal areas.

Conclusion: Patterns of limbic, frontal and temporal hypopefusion were reported in the present study, along with associations between brain perfusion, behavioral disturbance and severity of dementia. Perfusion patterns can help to understand further associated brain biomarkers, contributing to early diagnosis and intervention in bvFTD.

Keywords: Behavioral disturbance; Behavioral variant,; Disease severity; Frontotemporal dementia,; Regional cerebral blood flow; SPECT.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors declared no other potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Ethical approval: The study protocol was approved by the Bioethics and Ethics Committee of School of Medicine of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. The study was conducted in accordance with the APA ethical standards and the Declaration of Helsinki. Participants gave written informed consent to participate.

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