Frontal Lobe Degeneration in Adults with Down Syndrome and Alzheimer's Disease: A Review.

BACKGROUND: There is a proven link between Down syndrome and the early development of the neuropathological features of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Changes in the personality and behavior of adults with Down syndrome might indicate the early stages of dementia or of frontotemporal lobar degeneration. The objective of this study was to investigate the executive functions and changes in behavior associated with frontal lobe degeneration in individuals with Down syndrome who develop AD. We conducted a systematic review selecting studies employing cognitive assessments.

SUMMARY: We identified few studies using objective measurements to determine whether cognitive aspects associated with the frontal lobe correlate with dementia in this population. We observed a tendency toward such correlations.

KEY MESSAGES: There is a need for further studies in which objective measures of cognitive and behavioral factors are evaluated together with data related to brain function and morphology.