• Matthias Pawlowski, Viktoria Joksch, Heinz Wiendl, Sven G Meuth, Thomas Duning, and Andreas Johnen.
• Department of Neurology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany matthias.pawlowski@ukmuenster.de andreas.johnen@ukmuenster.de.
• J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. 2019 May 1; 90 (5): 562-569.

ObjectivesFrontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a heterogeneous clinical syndrome linked to diverse types of underlying neuropathology. Diagnosis is mainly based on clinical presentation and accurate prediction of underlying neuropathology remains difficult.MethodsWe present a large cohort of patients with FTD spectrum diseases (n=84). All patients were thoroughly characterised by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers, neuroimaging, neuropsychological testing and standardised apraxia screening.ResultsA potential AD pathology was found in 43% of patients with FTD. CSF AD biomarker levels positively correlated with AD-typical apraxia scores in patients with FTD. The discriminative power of apraxia test results indicative of AD pathology was high (sensitivity: 90%, specificity: 66%).ConclusionsApraxia is common in neurodegenerative dementias but under-represented in clinical workup and diagnostic criteria. Standardised apraxia screening may serve as bedside test to objectify an AD-typical apraxia profile as an early and robust sign of AD pathology in patients with FTD.© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.

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