The Japanese journal of neuropsychology

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ArticleTitle	Development and degeneration
Language	J
AuthorList	Akira Midorikawa
Affiliation	Department Psychology, Faculty of Letters, Chuo University
Publication	Japanese Journal of Neuropsychology: 27 (2), 143-152, 2011
Received
Accepted
Abstract	Brain development and brain degeneration are opposite phenomena in humans; however, there are some similarities when cognitive or behavioral characteristics are considered. First, patients with a visual variant of Alzheimer's disease or posterior cortical atrophy develop impaired vision in stages, from a slight disturbance to a severe deficit, similar to blindness. However, the patients can "see" motion of objects or the face of a person. These paradoxical phenomena are similar to the cognitive development of an infant, because newborns can perceive faces and motion. Thus, the course of cognitive development and that of degeneration are mirror opposites. Second, the behavioral characteristics and cognitive profiles of patients with semantic dementia (SD) are similar to those of autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). For example, patients with SD have superior visual abilities, such as drawing a picture or solving a puzzle. Additionally, they have stereotypical behaviors during daily living. Both characteristics are similar to ASD. Thus, we believe that some types of dementia and developmental disorders are mirror opposite phenomena. Additionally, our patient, who was diagnosed with fronto-temporal dementia (FTD), had ASD traits before the onset of the dementia. Thus, we suggest that patients with FTD may include those with subclinical ASD and that some patients with FTD may be an extension of the ASD trait.
Keywords	posterior cortical atrophy, semantic dementia, autistic spectrum disorder