Evidence of an inferior total-order planning strategy in patients with frontotemporal dementia

Neurocase. 2007 Oct;13(5):426-37. doi: 10.1080/13554790701881723.

Abstract

We investigated planning abilities in patients with frontal temporal dementia (FTD) and normal controls (NC) using a chore location planning task. Planning tasks with increasing complexity could be either solved by constructing a linear total plan (total-order planning) or partially ordered sub-plans (partial-order planning). The NC group appeared to use partial-order planning, while the FTD group appeared to use total-order planning based on error pattern in performance, task-solution, and planning time. Our results are a reminder that besides social impairments, FTD patients also demonstrate higher-order cognitive impairment in domains such as planning and that these impairments may also have a profound effect upon the patients' day-to-day functioning.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Analysis of Variance
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Concept Formation / physiology*
  • Dementia / pathology
  • Dementia / physiopathology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Intention
  • Male
  • Matched-Pair Analysis
  • Middle Aged
  • Prefrontal Cortex / pathology
  • Prefrontal Cortex / physiology*
  • Prefrontal Cortex / physiopathology
  • Problem Solving / physiology*
  • Psychomotor Performance / physiology*
  • Reaction Time / physiology
  • Reference Values
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Statistics, Nonparametric
  • Young Adult