Clinical and pathological diagnosis of Frontotemporal Dementia - Report ofthe work group on Frontotemporal Dementia and Pick's disease

An international group of clinical and basic scientists participated in the Frontotemporal Dementia and Pick's Disease Criteria Conference at the Nati onal Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md, on July 7, 2000, to reassess cli nical and neuropathological criteria for the diagnosis of frontotemporal de mentia (FTD). Previous criteria for FTD have primarily been designed for re search purposes. The goal of this meeting was to propose guidelines that wo uld enable clinicians (particularly neurologists, psychiatrists, and neurop sychologists) to recognize patients with FTD and, if appropriate, to expedi te their referral to a diagnostic center. In addition, recommendations for the neuropathological criteria of FTD were reviewed, relative to classical neuropathology and modem molecular biology.