The Dépistage Cognitif de Québec: A New Clinician’s Tool for Early Recognition of Atypical Dementia

Sellami, Leila; Meilleur‐Durand, Synthia; Chouinard, Anne-Marie; Bergeron, David; Verret, Louis; Poulin, Stéphane; Jean, Léonie; Fortin, M.; Nadeau, Yannick; Molin, Pierre; Caron, S.; Macoir, Joël; Hudon, Carol; Bouchard, Rémi W.; Laforce, Robert

doi:10.1159/000494348

Cited by 14 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 37 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…All patients are assessed according to the recommendations of the fourth Canadian Consensus Conference on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Dementia [22]. A typical consultation includes history taking, neurological examination, cognitive screening (Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE] [23] and Montreal Cognitive Assessment [MoCA] [24]), targeted cognitive evaluation using Dépistage Cognitif de Québec (DCQ) [25] and/or other specific cognitive tests, basic blood work (complete blood count, electrolytes, TSH, B12, and screening for syphilis), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) – dementia protocol (which includes a 3D-T1 and susceptibility-weighted imaging). If the diagnosis remains unclear, patients can be referred to further neuropsychological and speech/language pathology testing as well as 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The Behavioral/Dysexecutive Variant of Alzheimer’s Disease: A Case Series with Clinical, Neuropsychological, and FDG-PET Characterization

Bergeron¹,

Sellami²,

Poulin³

et al. 2020

Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction: It is well known that some patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) have atypical, nonamnestic presentations. While logopenic aphasia and posterior cortical atrophy are well-characterized atypical variants of AD, the behavioral/dysexecutive variant remains a controversial entity, lacking consensus regarding its distinctive clinical and imaging features. Methods: We present a case series of 8 patients with biomarker confirmation of AD (cerebrospinal fluid [CSF] analysis or amyloid positron emission tomography [PET]) and a progressive frontal syndrome, defined as prominent behavioral and/or executive deficits at initial presentation. We characterize the cohort based on clinical features, cognitive performance in 4 domains (memory, visuospatial, executive, and language) as well as behavior on the Dépistage Cognitif de Québec (DCQ), and regional brain metabolism using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET (FDG-PET). We compare these features with 8 age-matched patients diagnosed with the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) and 37 patients with typical amnestic AD. Results: Patients with the behavioral/dysexecutive variant of AD presented with early-onset (mean age: 59 years old) progressive executive and behavioral problems reminiscent of bvFTD, including disinhibition, loss of social conventions, and hyperorality. Patients scored higher on the Memory Index and lower on the Behavioral Index than patients with amnestic AD on the DCQ, yet they were indistinguishable from patients with bvFTD on each of the cognitive indices. Visual analysis of FDG-PET revealed half of patients with behavioral/dysexecutive AD presented with frontal hypometabolism suggestive of bvFTD and only 3/8 (37.5%) presented significant hypometabolism of the posterior cingulate cortex. Group-level analysis of FDG-PET data revealed that the most hypometabolic regions were the middle temporal, inferior temporal, and angular gyri in behavioral/dysexecutive AD and the inferior frontal gyrus, anterior cingulate cortex, caudate nucleus, and insula in bvFTD. Conclusion: The behavioral/dysexecutive variant of AD is a rare, atypical young-onset variant of AD defined clinically by early and prominent impairments in executive and behavioral domains. While behavioral/dysexecutive AD is hardly distinguishable from bvFTD using clinical and cognitive features alone, CSF biomarkers and temporoparietal hypometabolism help predict underlying pathology during life.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The DCQ is a cognitive screening tool that was designed by a group of behavioral neurologists and clinical neuropsychologists (R.L., R.B., and C.H.) to target 5 relevant domains, referred to as DCQ indexes [25, 28]. The DCQ’s questionnaire, administration guidelines, and normative data are available free of charge at www.dcqtest.org.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Behavioral/Dysexecutive Variant of Alzheimer’s Disease: A Case Series with Clinical, Neuropsychological, and FDG-PET Characterization

Bergeron¹,

Sellami²,

Poulin³

et al. 2020

Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The Dépistage Cognitif de Québec (DCQ) 73 was developed based on updated criteria for AD and variants, primary progressive aphasia and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia. This new tool showed excellent psychometric properties and was superior to the MoCA in a comparative study with a predictive power of 79% for the differentiation of atypical and typical dementias 74 . Other tests including computer‐based models such as Helping Hand Technology assessment 75 have demonstrated promising results compared to current tools but require further evaluation in a clinical setting to determine their potential roles in the evaluation of cognitive disorders 76,77 …”

Section: Cccdtd5 Topicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

CCCDTD5 recommendations on early and timely assessment of neurocognitive disorders using cognitive, behavioral, and functional scales

Tang‐Wai

Smith

Bruneau

et al. 2020

A&D Transl Res & Clin Interv

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction Earlier diagnosis of neurocognitive disorders and neurodegenerative disease is needed to implement preventative interventions, minimize harm, and reduce risk of exploitation in the context of undetected disease. Along the spectrum from subjective cognitive decline (SCD) to dementia, evidence continues to emerge with respect to detection, staging, and monitoring. Updates to previous guidelines are required for clinical practice. Methods A subcommittee of the 5th Canadian Consensus Conference on Diagnosis and Treatment of Dementia (CCCDTD) reviewed emerging evidence to address the following: (1) Is there a role for screening at‐risk patients without clinical concerns? In what context is assessment for dementia appropriate? (2) What tools can be used to evaluate patients in whom cognitive decline is suspected? (3) What important information can be gained from an informant, using which measures? (4) What instruments can be used to get more in‐depth information to diagnose mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia? (5) What is the approach to those with cognitive concerns but without objective changes (ie, SCD)? (6) How do we track response to treatment and change over time? The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation system was used to rate quality of the evidence and strength of the recommendations. Results We recommend instruments to assess and monitor cognition, behavior, and function across the cognitive spectrum, including reports from patient and informant. We recommend against screening asymptomatic older adults but recommend investigation for self‐ or informant reports of changes in cognition, emergence of behavioral or psychiatric symptoms, or decline in function or self‐care. Standardized assessments should be used for cognitive and behavioral change that have sufficient validity for use in clinical practice. Discussion The CCCDTD5 provides evidence‐based recommendations for detection, assessment, and monitoring of neurocognitive disorders. Although these guidelines were developed for use in Canada, they may also be useful in other jurisdictions.

show abstract

“…The DCQ (available at www.dcqtest.org) was developed at CIME ( Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec , Quebec City, Canada), the oldest tertiary Memory Clinic in Canada [20], by an experienced behavioral neurologist, neuropsychiatrist, geriatrician, geriatric psychiatrist, clinical neuropsychologist, and speech-language pathologist [18, 19]. It targets 5 relevant domains: memory, visuospatial, executive, language, and behavior (shown in Fig.…”

Section: Materials and Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, previous work has attempted to study other cognitive skills using simple cognitive screening tools such as the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) or the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) which do not include detailed measures of executive, memory, visuospatial, and behavioral abilities [17]. We aimed to explore the neurocognitive profile of lvPPA using a newly developed cognitive screening tool for atypical dementias, the Dépistage Cognitif de Québec (DCQ) [18, 19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cognitive Profile of the Logopenic Variant of Primary Progressive Aphasia Using the Dépistage Cognitif de Québec

Montreuil

Poulin

Bergeron

et al. 2020

Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background/Aims: The logopenic variant of primary progressive aphasia (lvPPA) is characterized by impaired word-finding and sentence repetition with phonologic errors but spared motor speech and grammar and semantic knowledge. Although its language deficits have been well studied, the full spectrum of cognitive changes in the lvPPA remains to be defined. We aimed to explore the neurocognitive profile of the lvPPA using a newly developed cognitive screening tool for atypical dementias, the Dépistage Cognitif de Québec (DCQ). Methods: We compared 29 patients with lvPPA to 72 amnestic variant Alzheimer disease (aAD) to 438 healthy control (HC) participants. Performance on the 5 indexes of the DCQ (Memory, Visuospatial, Executive, Language and Behavioral) was compared between the 3 groups. Results: Results showed a significantly lower performance for lvPPA participants in all neurocognitive domains, when compared to HC. When compared to aAD, lvPPA participants had significantly lower scores for language, executive, and visuospatial abilities, but not for memory and behavior. Conclusion: Altogether, these findings better define the neurocognitive changes of lvPPA.

show abstract

The Dépistage Cognitif de Québec: A New Clinician’s Tool for Early Recognition of Atypical Dementia

Cited by 14 publications

References 37 publications

The Behavioral/Dysexecutive Variant of Alzheimer’s Disease: A Case Series with Clinical, Neuropsychological, and FDG-PET Characterization

The Behavioral/Dysexecutive Variant of Alzheimer’s Disease: A Case Series with Clinical, Neuropsychological, and FDG-PET Characterization

CCCDTD5 recommendations on early and timely assessment of neurocognitive disorders using cognitive, behavioral, and functional scales

Cognitive Profile of the Logopenic Variant of Primary Progressive Aphasia Using the <b><i>Dépistage Cognitif de Québec</i></b>

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About