Convergent regional brain abnormalities in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia: A neuroimaging meta-analysis of 73 studies

IntroductionNumerous studies have reported brain alterations in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). However, they pointed to inconsistent findings. MethodsWe used a meta-analytic approach to identify the convergent structural and functional brain abnormalities in bvFTD. Following current best-practice neuroimaging meta-analysis guidelines, we searched PubMed and Embase databases and performed reference tracking. Then, the coordinates of group comparisons between bvFTD and controls from 73 studies were extracted and tested for convergence using activation likelihood estimation. ResultsWe identified convergent abnormalities in the anterior cingulate cortices, anterior insula, amygdala, paracingulate, striatum, and hippocampus. Task-based and resting-state functional connectivity pointed to the networks that are connected to the obtained consistent regions. Functional decoding analyses suggested associated dysfunction of emotional processing, interoception, reward processing, higher-order cognitive functions, and olfactory and gustatory perceptions in bvFTD. DiscussionOur findings highlighted the key role of the salience network and subcortical regions in the pathophysiology of bvFTD.

Automated summary

This study used a meta-analytic approach to investigate brain abnormalities in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). The findings revealed consistent abnormalities in the anterior cingulate cortices, anterior insula, amygdala, paracingulate, striatum, and hippocampus. Functional connectivity analysis identified networks connected to these regions, and functional decoding analysis suggested dysfunction in emotional processing, reward processing, and higher-order cognitive functions in bvFTD. The results highlight the key role of the salience network and subcortical regions in the pathophysiology of bvFTD.