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In addition to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the hippocampus is now known to be affected in variants of frontotemporal degeneration (FTD). In semantic variant primary progressive aphasia (svPPA), characterized by language impairments, hippocampal atrophy is greater in the left hemisphere. Nonverbal impairments (e.g., visual object recognition) are prominent in the right temporal variant of FTD (rtvFTD), and hippocampal atrophy may be greater in the right hemisphere. In this study we examined the hypothesis that leftward hippocampal asymmetry (predicted in svPPA) would be associated with selective verbal memory impairments (with relative preservation of visual memory), while rightward asymmetry (predicted in rtvFTD) would be associated with the opposite pattern (greater visual memory impairment). In contrast, we predicted that controls and individuals in the amnestic mild cognitive impairment stage of AD (aMCI), both of whom were expected to show symmetrical hippocampal volumes, would show roughly equivalent scores in verbal and visual memory. Participants completed delayed recall tests with words and geometric shapes, and hippocampal volumes were assessed with MRI. The aMCI sample showed symmetrical hippocampal atrophy, and similar degree of verbal and visual memory impairment. The svPPA sample showed greater left hippocampal atrophy and verbal memory impairment, while rtvFTD showed greater right hippocampal atrophy and visual memory impairment. Greater asymmetry in hippocampal volumes was associated with larger differences between verbal and visual memory in the FTD samples. Unlike AD, asymmetry is a core feature of brain-memory relationships in temporal variants of FTD.

Objective: To examine changes in patients’ desired control of the deep brain stimulator (DBS) and perception of global life control throughout DBS.Methods: A consecutive cohort of 52 patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) was recruited to participate in a prospective longitudinal study over three assessment points (pre-surgery, post-surgery months 3 and 6). Semi-structured interviews assessing participants’ desire for stimulation control and perception of global control were conducted at all three points. Qualitative data were coded using content analysis. Visual analog scales were embedded in the interviews to quantify participants’ perceptions of control over time.Results: Participants reported significant increases in their perception of global control over time and significant declines in their desired control of the stimulation. These changes were unrelated to improvements in motor symptoms. Improvements in global control were negatively correlated with a decline in desired stimulation control. Qualitative data indicate that participants have changed, nuanced levels of desired control over their stimulators. Increased global life control following DBS may be attributed to increased control over PD symptoms, increased ability to engage in valued activities, and increased overall self-regulation, while other domains related to global control remained unaffected by DBS.Conclusions: There are few empirical data documenting patients’ desire for stimulation control throughout neuromodulation and how stimulation control is related to other aspects of control despite the growing application of neuromodulation devices to treat a variety of disorders. Our data highlight distinctions in different types of control and have implications for the development of patient-controlled neurostimulation devices.