Pick's Disease

Did you know...

  • Pick’s disease is one of the Frontotemporal dementias (FTD’s) and is often misdiagnosed as psychiatric illness.
  • The primary feature of individuals with Picks disease is a slow deterioration of social skills.

About Pick’s Disease

Pick’s disease is a progressive disorder marked by deterioration of social skills and personality which may or may not be accompanied by impairment in intellect, memory and language.  Symptoms typically begin in the 50’s but can happen as early as age 20 or as late as age 80.  All patients with Pick’s disease experience a slow decline in functioning over time.

Symptoms may include:

  • Behavioral
    • Inappropriate social skills (using obscene language and making inappropriate sexual comments, doing pushups in a restaurant)
    • Impulsive
    • Decline in personal hygiene
    • Hypersexual
    • Hyperreligious
    • Repetitive behaviors
  • Emotional
    • Emotional blunting, lack of sympathy and compassion
    • Lack of insight
    • Apathetic
  • Language
    • Reduced output of language
    • Difficulty producing speech due to weakness or incoordination
    • Repetition of words of phrases
    • Mutism during the advanced stages of the disease.
  • Neurological
    • Movement symptoms similar to those in Parkinsons disease including reduced facial affect, slow movement, poor postural stability and muscle rigidity
    • Muscle weakness or jerking

Diagnosis/Treatment

Pick’s disease is often misdiagnosed as a psychiatric illness and it is therefore necessary to seek a center that specializes in changes in cognition. The diagnostic process typically will include an interview with the patient and family member or close friend, neurological exam, blood work, and brain imaging.  Additionally, cognitive testing will provide important information on language, memory, and executive function skills to assist in the differential diagnostic process.    

UTD Center for BrainHealth provides specialized cognitive-linguistic evaluations and works with physicians expert in the area to obtain the correct diagnosis.  These evaluations assess areas of strengths and weaknesses as well as assists individuals and families with recommendations and environmental modifications to enhance quality of life.

Currently there is not a treatment that has been proven effective specifically for Pick’s disease; however, medications used in other dementias are often prescribed.

Resources

www.ftd-picks.org
www.memory.ucsf.edu/Education/Disease/ftd.html
www.brain.northwestern.edu/mdad/frontal.html

Pick’s disease is often misdiagnosed as a psychiatric illness and it is therefore necessary to seek a center that specializes in changes in cognition such as The Center for BrainHealth.