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August 1, 1999

Cognitive and magnetic resonance imaging aspects of corticobasal degeneration and progressive supranuclear palsy

August 1, 1999 issue
53 (3) 502

Abstract

Objective: To identify cognitive and MRI features important for the clinical diagnosis of corticobasal degeneration (CBD) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP); these diseases share several clinical features and are often difficult to distinguish on clinical grounds.
Methods: Cognitive functions and MRI characteristics were examined in 16 patients with CBD and 28 patients with PSP, all diagnosed according to current clinical criteria (none was examined by autopsy).
Results: MRI findings differed significantly between the two groups: 87.5% of patients with CBD but none with PSP had asymmetric frontoparietal atrophy, whereas 89.3% of patients with PSP but only 6.3% of those with CBD had midbrain atrophy. Cognitive examination showed that ideomotor apraxia (De Renzi’s test) was significantly more frequent in CBD, and executive functions (Nelson’s test) were significantly more impaired in patients with PSP.
Conclusions: MRI findings of asymmetric frontoparietal atrophy in CBD and midbrain atrophy in PSP are the most consistent and useful aids to careful clinical evaluation for differentiating between the two diseases.

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Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Neurology®
Volume 53Number 3August 1, 1999
Pages: 502
PubMed: 10449111

Publication History

Received: January 20, 1999
Accepted: March 20, 1999
Published online: August 1, 1999
Published in print: August 1, 1999

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Authors

Affiliations & Disclosures

P. Soliveri, MD
From the Departments of Neurology (Drs. SoliveriMonza, Paridi, Radice, Testa, and Girotti) and Neuroradiology (Drs. Grisoli and Savoiardo), Istituto Nazionale Neurologico “C. Besta,” Milan, Italy.
D. Monza, MD
From the Departments of Neurology (Drs. SoliveriMonza, Paridi, Radice, Testa, and Girotti) and Neuroradiology (Drs. Grisoli and Savoiardo), Istituto Nazionale Neurologico “C. Besta,” Milan, Italy.
D. Paridi, PhD
From the Departments of Neurology (Drs. SoliveriMonza, Paridi, Radice, Testa, and Girotti) and Neuroradiology (Drs. Grisoli and Savoiardo), Istituto Nazionale Neurologico “C. Besta,” Milan, Italy.
D. Radice, PhD
From the Departments of Neurology (Drs. SoliveriMonza, Paridi, Radice, Testa, and Girotti) and Neuroradiology (Drs. Grisoli and Savoiardo), Istituto Nazionale Neurologico “C. Besta,” Milan, Italy.
M. Grisoli, MD
From the Departments of Neurology (Drs. SoliveriMonza, Paridi, Radice, Testa, and Girotti) and Neuroradiology (Drs. Grisoli and Savoiardo), Istituto Nazionale Neurologico “C. Besta,” Milan, Italy.
D. Testa, MD
From the Departments of Neurology (Drs. SoliveriMonza, Paridi, Radice, Testa, and Girotti) and Neuroradiology (Drs. Grisoli and Savoiardo), Istituto Nazionale Neurologico “C. Besta,” Milan, Italy.
M. Savoiardo, MD
From the Departments of Neurology (Drs. SoliveriMonza, Paridi, Radice, Testa, and Girotti) and Neuroradiology (Drs. Grisoli and Savoiardo), Istituto Nazionale Neurologico “C. Besta,” Milan, Italy.
F. Girotti, MD
From the Departments of Neurology (Drs. SoliveriMonza, Paridi, Radice, Testa, and Girotti) and Neuroradiology (Drs. Grisoli and Savoiardo), Istituto Nazionale Neurologico “C. Besta,” Milan, Italy.

Notes

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Floriano Girotti, Istituto Nazionale Neurologico “C. Besta,” Via Celoria 11, 20133 Milan, Italy.

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