ABSTRACT
Dementia is a syndrome characterized by the reduction of cognitive abilities
(most often memory) to the point that impairment in daily activities occurs.
Clinical assessment, supported by the results of neuropsychological tests, is at
present the only in vivo non-invasive screening and diagnostic tool for Alzheimer’s
disease (AD) and other disorders associated with dementia. Dementia diagnosis,
indeed, is based exclusively on clinical, behavioral, and neuropsychological
findings according to DSM-IV (1). The same principle applies to the diagnosis of
the most common causes of dementia: AD (2), vascular dementia (VaD) (3), and
frontotemporal dementia (FTD) (4). According to NINCDS-ADRDA criteria,
neuropsychological testing is required to confirm the presence of dementia,
established on clinical grounds.
