Pick's disease is a rare form of dementia that presents with which features?

• A. Early onset dementia with personality changes
• B. Dominant amnesia with preserved social behavior
• C. Early visuospatial deficits
• D. Hypersomnia

Answer: (A)

Pick's disease is a frontotemporal dementia where degeneration of the frontal and anterior temporal lobes drives early behavioral and personality changes. The most characteristic presentation is early onset dementia with marked personality changes—disinhibition, apathy, loss of empathy, socially inappropriate behavior, and compulsive routines—often before prominent memory loss appears. This pattern distinguishes it from other dementias where memory impairment or visuospatial symptoms come first.

Why the other descriptions don’t fit: memory-dominant decline with preserved social behavior isn’t typical of frontotemporal disease, which centers on personality and behavior changes. Early visuospatial deficits point to different regional brain involvement (posterior regions) rather than the frontal/temporal lobes. Hypersomnia isn’t a hallmark feature of Pick’s disease.