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Accelerated clinical decline in well-educated patients with frontotemporal lobar degenerations

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Abstract

Education seems to protect against symptoms of neurodegeneration, but highly educated individuals experience faster cognitive decline after the onset of dementia. No studies on the effects of education on the clinical course in frontotemporal lobar degenerations (FTLD) exist. The aim of the study was to explore the effect of education on the rate of clinical deterioration in patients with FTLD. Thirty-five patients with FTLD were recruited and followed up for 20 months in average. A correlation was calculated between years of education and monthly rate of change on the clinical dementia rating scale sum of the boxes (CDR-SOB). A linear regression analysis with the CDR-SOB monthly rate of change as dependent, and the educational years and other variables possibly associated with the rate of clinical decline as independent variables was performed. There was a significant positive association between education and CDR-SOB monthly rate of change, indicating a faster decline in the well-educated. Education was the only significant predictor of clinical deterioration.

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Acknowledgment

The study was sponsored by the Klinikum rechts der Isar München (grant N° 8765). The sponsors played no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; and the preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript. The authors wish to thank Dorottya Ruisz for proofreading.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors do not report any conflicts of interest. Appropriate approval and procedures were used concerning subjects.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Technische Universität München, Ismaninger Str. 22, 81675, Munich, Germany

    Robert Perneczky, Corina Pohl, Susanne Bornschein, Hans Förstl, Alexander Kurz & Janine Diehl-Schmid

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  1. Robert Perneczky
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  2. Corina Pohl
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  3. Susanne Bornschein
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  4. Hans Förstl
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  5. Alexander Kurz
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  6. Janine Diehl-Schmid
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Correspondence to Robert Perneczky.

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Perneczky, R., Pohl, C., Bornschein, S. et al. Accelerated clinical decline in well-educated patients with frontotemporal lobar degenerations. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 259, 362–367 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-009-0004-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-009-0004-6

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