UCSF

Key PointsDefinite classification of dementia is based on the underlying neuropathologyAccumulation of abnormally folded proteins lies at the heart of dementia neuropathologyAlzheimer disease pathology can give rise to subtypes with focal onset in functional networks outside the memory system, such as language, visuospatial and behavioural executive domainsFrontotemporal lobar degeneration, associated with aggregates of tau, TDP-43 or FUS, can give rise to three core frontotemporal dementia syndromes and three associated syndromesClinical classification of dementia syndromes is based on diagnostic criteria that rely heavily on the specificity of affected domains and the evolution of deficits in these domainsIn vivo biomarkers of disease include imaging findings of morphological, molecular and functional changes, both upstream and downstream of the disease processes