Clinical and Pathological Evidence for a Frontal Variant of Alzheimer Disease

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Abstract
ALZHEIMER DISEASE (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a progressive decline in cognition that affects multiple systems, such as memory, language, executive functions, and visuospatial skills. Throughout the course of the disease, a heterogeneous profile of preserved and impaired functions is observed, suggesting the involvement of selective cognitive systems or brain regions. This cognitive heterogeneity led researchers1,2 to postulate the existence of subgroups of patients with AD in the 1980s. That is, although most patients diagnosed with AD have multiple cognitive impairments, some patients have relatively prominent impairments in 1 cognitive domain. For example, prominent and early impairments in visuospatial skills3-8 and language5,9 have been documented in patients with histologically confirmed AD.