Publications by authors named "Shana Dodge"
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is one of the leading causes of young-onset dementia before age 65, typically manifesting as abnormal behavior (in behavioral variant FTD) or language impairment (in primary progressive aphasia). Although FTD affects all populations across the globe, knowledge regarding the pathophysiology and genetics derives primarily from studies conducted in North America and Western Europe. Globally, biomedical research for FTD is hindered by variable access to diagnosis, discussed in this group's earlier article, and by reduced access to expertise, funding, and infrastructure.
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- Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a major cause of dementia in people under 65, showing symptoms like unusual behavior or language difficulties depending on the variant.
- The symptoms and presentation of FTD can differ significantly across cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds, but most current research is based on Western populations.
- The paper discusses how global diversity influences FTD's diagnosis and treatment, and suggests changes to improve the understanding and management of FTD worldwide.
Frontotemporal degeneration (FTD) is an umbrella term encompassing a range of rare neurodegenerative disorders that cause progressive declines in cognition, behavior, and personality. Hearing directly from individuals living with FTD and their care partners is critical in optimizing care, identifying meaningful clinical trial endpoints, and improving research recruitment and retention. The current paper presents a subset of data from the FTD Insights Survey, chronicling the diagnostic journey, symptoms, and the impact of FTD on distress, quality of life, and independence, in the mild to moderate stages of the disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPutting participants and study partners FIRST when clinical trials end early.
Alzheimers Dement
December 2022
Article Synopsis
- Between 2018 and 2019, several clinical trials ended abruptly, prompting the need for better communication and support for participants and their partners (dyads).
- The Participant FIRST Work Group convened in 2021 to create best practices for engaging with dyads affected by early trial stoppages and developed 17 key recommendations for improvement.
- Recommendations include investing in resources for orderly trial closeout, creating communication plans centered on dyad needs, and ensuring prompt information is provided to dyads if a trial is halted.
Premorbid prediction of psychosis-spectrum disorders has implications for both understanding etiology and clinical identification. The current study used a longitudinal high-risk for psychosis design that included children of parents with schizophrenia as well as two groups of controls (children whose parents had no mental illness, and children with at least one parent with a non-psychotic psychiatric diagnosis). Premorbid neurological factors and an indication of social function, as measured when participants were 10-13years of age, were combined to predict psychosis-spectrum disorders in adulthood.
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