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This study investigated the cognitive estimations test (CET) in patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). The CET consists of questions which reflect judgment and reasoning. FTD patients, who have predominant frontotemporal atrophy, may give more extreme estimates on the CET compared toAD patients, who have greater temporoparietal pathology. The CET was administered to 31 FTD and 31 AD patients of comparable dementia severity plus 31 normal elderly controls. Both dementia groups gave significantly more extreme estimates on the CET than did the controls, and, contrary to expectations, AD patients gave more extreme estimates than did FTD patients. Extreme CET scores correlated with poor savings and calculations scores on neuropsychological tests. In conclusion, the CET may be particularly impaired in AD because it reflects impaired memory and numerical ability as well as disturbed judgment and reasoning. The CET may also be helpful in discriminating some patients in moderate stages of AD from those with FTD.

New-onset epileptic seizures occur in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), but the nature and underlying reasons for these seizures are unclear. We identified new-onset, nonsymptomatic seizures in 77 (17%) of 446 patients with uncomplicated, definite AD on autopsy. Among these seizure patients, 69 had generalized tonic-clonic seizures, and 55 had less than three total seizures. The seizure patients had a younger age of dementia onset than did the remaining AD patients; however, at seizure onset, they averaged 6.8 years into their AD and had advanced dementia. When further compared to 77 AD controls, matched for age of onset and duration, the seizure patients did not differ on medical illnesses, amount of medications, and degree of focal neuropathology. We conclude that a few unprovoked generalized seizures frequently occur late in the course of AD, and that AD patients with a younger age of dementia onset are particularly susceptible to seizures.