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Published in: Journal of Neurology 11/2006

01-11-2006 | ORIGINAL COMMUNICATION

Differentiating Alzheimer’s disease from subcortical vascular dementia with the FAB test

Authors: Hiroaki Oguro, MD, Shuhei Yamaguchi, MD, Satoshi Abe, MD, Yuri Ishida, MD, Hirokazu Bokura, MD, Shotai Kobayashi, MD

Published in: Journal of Neurology | Issue 11/2006

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Abstract

Background

The frontal assessment battery (FAB) test is a composite tool for assessing executive functions related to the frontal lobe. Neuropsychological and blood-flow studies indicate distinct patterns of deterioration of anterior and posterior cortical function in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and subcortical vascular dementia (VD) patients. We predict that the FAB score may be useful for discriminating VD from AD.

Objective

To evaluate the clinical usefulness of the FAB test for differential diagnosis of AD and VD.

Methods

We compared FAB scores in 25 patients with AD, 27 patients with VD, and 80 age-matched normal control subjects. The AD group was matched for age, education and MMSE score with the VD group. The subtest scores in FAB were also compared among the three groups.

Results

The FAB scores were significantly decreased in both the AD and VD groups compared to the control group, and the reduction were greater in the VD group. Among the FAB subtests, mental flexibility (phonological verbal fluency) was the only subtest that significantly discriminated VD from the other two groups.

Conclusions

The FAB test can provide useful information for differentiating AD and VD at the bedside.
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Metadata
Title
Differentiating Alzheimer’s disease from subcortical vascular dementia with the FAB test
Authors
Hiroaki Oguro, MD
Shuhei Yamaguchi, MD
Satoshi Abe, MD
Yuri Ishida, MD
Hirokazu Bokura, MD
Shotai Kobayashi, MD
Publication date
01-11-2006
Publisher
Steinkopff-Verlag
Published in
Journal of Neurology / Issue 11/2006
Print ISSN: 0340-5354
Electronic ISSN: 1432-1459
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-006-0251-7

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