Expert opinions on pharmacological symptomatic treatment of behavioral symptoms in frontotemporal dementia : A survey of the Neuropsychiatric International Consortium on Frontotemporal Dementia (NIC-FTD)
van Paassen, Dirk ; Hartog, Luc ; de Boer, Sterre ; Vijverberg, Everard ; Ducharme, Simon ; Pijnenburg, Yolande and Santillo, Alexander LU
(2025)
In European Journal of Neurology
32(1).
- Abstract
Background and purpose: Behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) is essentially characterized by progressive changes in personality and cognition. Clinically, bvFTD presents with often profound behavioral symptomatology. Despite the high burden of these symptoms for both patients and caregivers, there is no general consensus on an effective pharmacological symptomatic treatment. Interestingly, for multiple similar symptoms in primary psychiatric disorders, there is consensus on an effective pharmacological treatment. The aim of this study is to explore currently preferred clinical practices in the pharmacological treatment of specific core behavioral symptoms in bvFTD by world-leading clinical experts. Methods: A digital... (More)
Background and purpose: Behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) is essentially characterized by progressive changes in personality and cognition. Clinically, bvFTD presents with often profound behavioral symptomatology. Despite the high burden of these symptoms for both patients and caregivers, there is no general consensus on an effective pharmacological symptomatic treatment. Interestingly, for multiple similar symptoms in primary psychiatric disorders, there is consensus on an effective pharmacological treatment. The aim of this study is to explore currently preferred clinical practices in the pharmacological treatment of specific core behavioral symptoms in bvFTD by world-leading clinical experts. Methods: A digital survey was conducted among members of the Neuropsychiatric International Consortium on Frontotemporal Dementia, comprising neurologists, psychiatrists, and neuropsychiatrists. Respondents recommended pharmacological treatments targeting symptoms including disinhibition, apathy, loss of empathy, hyperorality, perseverative/compulsive behaviors, and positive psychotic symptoms. Results: Of 48 respondents with a median experience of 11.5 years in treating bvFTD, disinhibition was most frequently targeted (58.4%), followed by perseverative/compulsive behaviors (46.5%). Recommended drug classes included atypical antipsychotics (35.1%), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (31.2%), antiepileptics (10.0%), serotonin antagonist and reuptake inhibitors (8.4%), benzodiazepines (4.0%), and others (11.4%). Conclusions: Our survey revealed diverse pharmacological treatment practices for behavioral symptoms in bvFTD, reflecting the expected radical heterogeneity in pharmacological treatment strategies. Notwithstanding this, results from this explorative survey could further inform future research directions, and thus in turn potentially aid in establishing more consensus on effective pharmacological management of bvFTD, while the field awaits the development of highly anticipated disease-modifying treatment(s).
(Less)
- author
- van Paassen, Dirk
; Hartog, Luc
; de Boer, Sterre
; Vijverberg, Everard
; Ducharme, Simon
; Pijnenburg, Yolande
and Santillo, Alexander
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2025
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- behavioral symptoms, behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia, bvFTD, clinical practice, genetic, pharmacological treatment, sporadic, symptomatic treatment
- in
- European Journal of Neurology
- volume
- 32
- issue
- 1
- publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85210486094
- pmid:39607834
- ISSN
- 1351-5101
- DOI
- 10.1111/ene.16537
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Publisher Copyright: © 2024 The Author(s). European Journal of Neurology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Academy of Neurology.
- id
- 3fb70ef1-55ec-4936-a9b4-90c127421daa
- date added to LUP
- 2024-12-09 06:47:10
- date last changed
- 2025-07-07 23:34:25
@article{3fb70ef1-55ec-4936-a9b4-90c127421daa,
abstract = {{<p>Background and purpose: Behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) is essentially characterized by progressive changes in personality and cognition. Clinically, bvFTD presents with often profound behavioral symptomatology. Despite the high burden of these symptoms for both patients and caregivers, there is no general consensus on an effective pharmacological symptomatic treatment. Interestingly, for multiple similar symptoms in primary psychiatric disorders, there is consensus on an effective pharmacological treatment. The aim of this study is to explore currently preferred clinical practices in the pharmacological treatment of specific core behavioral symptoms in bvFTD by world-leading clinical experts. Methods: A digital survey was conducted among members of the Neuropsychiatric International Consortium on Frontotemporal Dementia, comprising neurologists, psychiatrists, and neuropsychiatrists. Respondents recommended pharmacological treatments targeting symptoms including disinhibition, apathy, loss of empathy, hyperorality, perseverative/compulsive behaviors, and positive psychotic symptoms. Results: Of 48 respondents with a median experience of 11.5 years in treating bvFTD, disinhibition was most frequently targeted (58.4%), followed by perseverative/compulsive behaviors (46.5%). Recommended drug classes included atypical antipsychotics (35.1%), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (31.2%), antiepileptics (10.0%), serotonin antagonist and reuptake inhibitors (8.4%), benzodiazepines (4.0%), and others (11.4%). Conclusions: Our survey revealed diverse pharmacological treatment practices for behavioral symptoms in bvFTD, reflecting the expected radical heterogeneity in pharmacological treatment strategies. Notwithstanding this, results from this explorative survey could further inform future research directions, and thus in turn potentially aid in establishing more consensus on effective pharmacological management of bvFTD, while the field awaits the development of highly anticipated disease-modifying treatment(s).</p>}},
author = {{van Paassen, Dirk and Hartog, Luc and de Boer, Sterre and Vijverberg, Everard and Ducharme, Simon and Pijnenburg, Yolande and Santillo, Alexander}},
issn = {{1351-5101}},
keywords = {{behavioral symptoms; behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia; bvFTD; clinical practice; genetic; pharmacological treatment; sporadic; symptomatic treatment}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{1}},
publisher = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
series = {{European Journal of Neurology}},
title = {{Expert opinions on pharmacological symptomatic treatment of behavioral symptoms in frontotemporal dementia : A survey of the Neuropsychiatric International Consortium on Frontotemporal Dementia (NIC-FTD)}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ene.16537}},
doi = {{10.1111/ene.16537}},
volume = {{32}},
year = {{2025}},
}