BEDSIDE ASSESSMENT OF FRONTAL DEGENERATION - DISTINGUISHING ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE FROM NON-ALZHEIMERS CORTICAL DEMENTIA

Two instruments, the Executive Interview (EXIT) and the Qualitative Ev aluation of Dementia (QED), that are useful in the evaluation of front al system failure are discussed. The ability of these instruments to d iscriminate frontal-type dementia (FTD) from Alzheimer's disease (AD) and the dementia of major depression (DMD) was examined in 100 consecu tive elderly dementia patients presenting to a multidisciplinary geria tric clinic. All groups showed executive impairment by the EXIT, and 4 6% of the FTD patients were found to be unimpaired by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). The AD and FTD groups differed significantly from the DMD group on the QED. The QED alone could not distinguish AD from FTD cases. However, mapping of scores against MMSE (errors) scor es revealed that AD and FTD follow very different regression lines.