Abstract Details

Title Brain Functional Connectivity Associated with the Right Temporal Degeneration

Topic Aging, Dementia, and Behavioral Neurology

Presentation(s) P9 - Poster Session 9 (12:00 PM-1:00 PM)

Poster/Presentation
Number 10-010

Objective

The aim of the present study was to assess functional connectivity (FC) patterns associated with the right temporal variant of frontotemporal dementia (rtvFTD) in comparison with normal aging.

Background The rtvFTD, usually named as ‘right semantic dementia’, often challenges the clinician in the classification since it does not perfectly fit neither the criteria for the behavioural variant of FTD nor for the semantic variant of primary progressive aphasia.

Design/Methods

We enrolled 6 patients with a recent clinical and imaging-based diagnosis of rtvFTD and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HC). Neuropsychological assessments and resting state functional MRI (RS-fMRI) were obtained from all participants. RS FC networks were identified using an independent component analysis (GIFT toolbox, SPM12). For each network of interest (default mode, left and right frontoparietal [FPN], salience, fronto-striatal, anterior-temporal and cerebellar networks, primary and associative visual networks, and sensorimotor network), comparisons between groups were performed.

Results At the neuropsychological assessment, all patients presented with behavioural changes, difficulties in naming and language comprehension, abstract reasoning, and emotion and famous faces identification. Compared to HC, rtvFTD patients showed increased connectivity in the right fusiform gyrus within the anterior-temporal network, and in the right inferior temporal cortex (Brodmann area 20) within the right FPN.

Conclusions This study showed that rtvFTD patients are characterized by altered FC in networks beyond the pure frontal and language circuits, mostly targeting pivotal regions involved in high-level visual processing. If the observed increased FC is a compensatory mechanism or rather reflects the underneath pathological process still needs to be determined. In conclusion, RS-fMRI is a fundamental tool which permits to improve the distinction between this rare and still poorly investigated condition and other variants of FTD.

Authors/Disclosures
Elisa Canu (Ospedale San Raffaele) PRESENTER	The institution of Elisa Canu has received research support from Italian Ministry of Health .
Federica Agosta (San Raffaele Scientific Institute)	Federica Agosta has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Speakers Bureau for Philips. Federica Agosta has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as an Editor, Associate Editor, or Editorial Advisory Board Member for Elsevier INC.
Michela Leocadi, MSc (IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute)	Dr. Leocadi has nothing to disclose.
	No disclosure on file
Veronica Castelnovo, MSc (San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University)	Dr. Castelnovo has nothing to disclose.
Paola Caroppo	Paola Caroppo has nothing to disclose.
	No disclosure on file
	No disclosure on file
Ildebrando H. Appollonio, MD (Neurology Section, Dept. of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano Bicocca)	Dr. Appollonio has nothing to disclose.
Paola Valsasina	Paola Valsasina has nothing to disclose.
Massimo Filippi, MD, F�鶹��ýӳ�� (Ospedale San Raffaele, Neuroimaging Research Unit)	Dr. Filippi has received personal compensation in the range of $5,000-$9,999 for serving as a Consultant for Alexion, Almirall, Biogen, Merck, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi. Dr. Filippi has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Scientific Advisory or Data Safety Monitoring board for Alexion, Biogen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi, Sanofi-Aventis, Sanofi-Genzyme, Takeda. Dr. Filippi has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Speakers Bureau for Bayer, Biogen, Celgene, Chiesi Italia SpA, Eli Lilly, Genzyme, Janssen, Merck-Serono, Neopharmed Gentili, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Roche, Sanofi, Takeda, and TEVA. Dr. Filippi has received personal compensation in the range of $10,000-$49,999 for serving as an Editor, Associate Editor, or Editorial Advisory Board Member for Springer Nature. The institution of Dr. Filippi has received research support from Biogen Idec, Merck-Serono, Novartis, Roche, the Italian Ministry of Health, the Italian Ministry of University and Research, and Fondazione Italiana Sclerosi Multipla.

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