Rest–activity and behavioral disruption in a patient with frontotemporal dementia

Abstract

The neurological deterioration in dementia is associated with disturbances in circadian rhythms and rest–activity patterns. These disruptions have been documented in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and dementia with Lewy bodies but little is known about rest–activity patterns in patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). We report longitudinal (2 year) actigraphy results for a patient who met diagnostic criteria for FTD and his family caregiver. The subject and his family caregiver wore Actiwatches continuously for 2 weeks at 1-year intervals. The findings suggest that with disease progression there is worsening in multiple areas of rest–activity measures for the patient and a negative impact on sleep quality for the family caregiver.

Keywords:

• Frontotemporal dementia
• Actigraphy
• Circadian rhythm
• Rest–activity
• Sleep–wake

This work is supported by NIH 5 PO1 AG019724, the John A. Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence, and the Integra Foundation Neuroscience Nursing Foundation.