Behavioral changes as the earliest clinical manifestation of progressive supranuclear palsy

Abstract

Background The clinical and pathological heterogeneity of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is well established. Even with a well-defined clinical phenotype and a thorough laboratory workup, PSP can be misdiagnosed, especially in its early stages. Case Report A 52-year-old woman, who we initially diagnosed with a behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia developed parkinsonian features, which then progressed to gait instability and gaze abnormality. Conclusions We report herein a pathologically confirmed case of PSP presenting with behavioral changes including agitation and irritability, which eventually led to the cardinal symptoms of progressive supranuclear palsy. © 2010 Korean Neurological Association.