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Hebephrenic schizophrenia as a variant of frontotemporal dementia – the true dementia praecox?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2021

A.B. Medeiros*
Affiliation:
Psychiatry And Mental Health Department, Hospital Garcia de Orta, E.P.E., Almada, Portugal, Portugal
N. Descalço
Affiliation:
Psychiatry And Mental Health Department, Hospital Garcia de Orta, E.P.E., Almada, Portugal, Portugal
C. Fernandes Santos
Affiliation:
Psychiatry And Mental Health Department, Hospital Garcia de Orta, E.P.E., Almada, Portugal, Portugal
R. Gomes
Affiliation:
Psychiatry And Mental Health Department, Hospital Garcia de Orta, E.P.E., Almada, Portugal, Portugal
M. Veiga Pereira
Affiliation:
Psychiatry And Mental Health Department, Hospital Garcia de Orta, E.P.E., Almada, Portugal, Portugal
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

Frontotemporal Demential (FTD) is a neurodegenerative disorder evolving the frontal or temporal brain lobes. They have been described six variants. Behaviour variant (BvFTD) is the most common, and is characterized by changes in social behaviour and conduct, with loss of social awareness and poor impulse control. Hebephrenic schizophrenia (HSz), or disorganized schizophrenia, was recognized as a schizophrenia subtype, characterized by desorganized behaviour and a cognitive deteriorization. Subtypes of schizophrenia are no longer recognized as separate conditions neither in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, nor in the new International Statistical Classification of Diseases.

Objectives

To review the literature about the concepts of hebephrenic schizophrenia and their similarities with the concept of frontotemporal dementia

Methods

Narrative review of the literature on PubMed/MEDLINE, using the keywords “hebephrenic szchizophrenia” AND “frontotemporal dementia”. Only articles in English were included.

Results

Some authors described dificulty in establish a diferential diagnosis between HSz and BvFTD. HSz has an earlier onset. However, BvFTD is an early age dementia. The fenomenology of both diseases is similar, and schizophrenia was historical conceptualized as praecox dementia. Frontotemporal abnormalities are common neuroimagiological findings in schizophrenia. Clinically, FTD shows a profound alteration in personality and social conduct, emotional blunting and loss of insight. Memory, intellectual functions, executive and attentional abilities may be disturbed in both.

Conclusions

A diferential diagnosis between HSz and BvFTD is dificult to establish (clinically and imagiologically). The response to treatment is weak in both. It should be investigated the possibility they could be the same syndrome, onseting in diferent ages.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Type
Abstract
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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