Match the following clinical vignettes to the most likely underlying neurocognitive disorder etiology.
- A 75-year-old man presents with abrupt worsening of cognitive function followed by periods of stability, and asymmetric hyperreflexia on examination.Vascular dementia
- A 68-year-old woman exhibits socially inappropriate behaviors, loss of empathy, and a new habit of consuming large amounts of sweets, with intact navigation skills.Frontotemporal dementia
- A 78-year-old man experiences fluctuating alertness, detailed visual hallucinations of animals, and violent movements during sleep, alongside new-onset parkinsonism.Dementia with Lewy bodies
- A 74-year-old woman displays a gradual, progressive decline in episodic memory and gets lost in her own neighborhood, with no focal motor deficits.Alzheimer disease
- An 80-year-old man develops a 'magnetic' wide-based gait, urinary urgency, and prominent psychomotor slowing over several months.Normal pressure hydrocephalus
Answer
Vignette 1 maps to Vascular dementia, Vignette 2 maps to Frontotemporal dementia, Vignette 3 maps to Dementia with Lewy bodies, Vignette 4 maps to Alzheimer disease, and Vignette 5 maps to Normal pressure hydrocephalus.
Each neurocognitive disorder has a distinct initial clinical presentation. Alzheimer disease presents with insidious memory loss. Frontotemporal dementia presents with early personality and behavioral changes. Lewy body dementia is characterized by visual hallucinations, parkinsonism, and fluctuating cognition. Vascular dementia shows a step-wise decline with focal neurological deficits. Normal pressure hydrocephalus presents with the classic triad of gait apraxia, urinary incontinence, and dementia.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Differentiation of major neurocognitive disorders based on core clinical features and initial presentation.
Estimated Time:1m 30s