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. 2014 Dec;29(8):723-31.
doi: 10.1177/1533317514534954. Epub 2014 May 16.

Differential diagnosis of degenerative dementias using basic neuropsychological tests: multivariable logistic regression analysis of 301 patients

Adolfo Jiménez-Huete  1 , Elena Riva  2 , Rafael Toledano  2 , Pablo Campo  3 , Jesús Esteban  2 , Antonio Del Barrio  2 , Oriol Franch  2
Affiliations

Differential diagnosis of degenerative dementias using basic neuropsychological tests: multivariable logistic regression analysis of 301 patients

Adolfo Jiménez-Huete et al. Am J Alzheimers Dis Other Demen. 2014 Dec.

Abstract

Background: The validity of neuropsychological tests for the differential diagnosis of degenerative dementias may depend on the clinical context. We constructed a series of logistic models taking into account this factor.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the demographic and neuropsychological data of 301 patients with probable Alzheimer's disease (AD), frontotemporal degeneration (FTLD), or dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Nine models were constructed taking into account the diagnostic question (eg, AD vs DLB) and subpopulation (incident vs prevalent).

Results: The AD versus DLB model for all patients, including memory recovery and phonological fluency, was highly accurate (area under the curve = 0.919, sensitivity = 90%, and specificity = 80%). The results were comparable in incident and prevalent cases. The FTLD versus AD and DLB versus FTLD models were both inaccurate.

Conclusion: The models constructed from basic neuropsychological variables allowed an accurate differential diagnosis of AD versus DLB but not of FTLD versus AD or DLB.

Keywords: Alzheimer disease; Lewy body disease; and logistic models; dementia; demography; diagnosis; differential; frontotemporal lobar degeneration; neuropsychological tests.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Receiver–operator characteristic curves of 3 logistic regression models for the differential diagnosis between dementia with Lewy bodies and Alzheimer’s disease (upper panel), frontotemporal lobar degeneration and Alzheimer’s disease (middle panel), and dementia with Lewy bodies and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (lower panel).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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