Citation

LoBue C, Wilmoth K, Cullum CM, Rossetti HC, Lacritz LH, Hynan LS, Hart J, Womack KB. J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry 2015; 87(8): 817-820.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA Department of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA Center for BrainHealth, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, Texas, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, BMJ Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1136/jnnp-2015-311438

PMID

26359171

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: We retrospectively examined whether a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with an earlier age of symptom onset and diagnosis in a large sample of patients with behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD).

METHODS: Data on patients with bvFTD (n=678) were obtained from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center Uniform Data Set. TBI was categorised based on reported lifetime history of TBI with loss of consciousness (LOC) but no chronic deficits occurring more than 1 year prior to diagnosis of bvFTD. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to determine if clinician-estimated age of symptom onset and age at diagnosis of bvFTD differed between those who reported a history of TBI with LOC (TBI+) and those who did not (TBI-).

RESULTS: Controlling for sex, the TBI+ bvFTD group had an age of symptom onset and age of diagnosis that was on average 2.8 and 3.2 years earlier (p<0.01) than the TBI- bvFTD group.

CONCLUSIONS: TBI history with LOC occurring more than 1 year prior to diagnosis is associated with an earlier age of symptom onset and diagnosis in patients with bvFTD. TBI may be related to the underlying neurodegenerative processes in bvFTD, but the implications of age at time of injury, severity and repetitive injuries remain unclear.

Language: en