Pick's disease is best described as which type of dementia?

• A. Frontotemporal dementia with early personality changes
• B. Alzheimer's disease with rapid memory loss
• C. Lewy body dementia with visual hallucinations
• D. Vascular dementia with stepwise decline

Answer: (A)

Pick's disease is a form of frontotemporal dementia, where degeneration targets the frontal and temporal lobes. The most striking and earliest features are changes in behavior and personality—disinhibition, apathy, loss of empathy, and socially inappropriate actions—often appearing before memory problems become prominent. This pattern distinguishes it from Alzheimer’s disease, where memory loss is typically the first and most pronounced symptom. Lewy body dementia usually presents with visual hallucinations and fluctuating cognition, while vascular dementia shows a stepwise decline linked to cerebrovascular events. Thus, Pick's disease is best described as frontotemporal dementia with early personality changes. Pathologically, it involves Pick bodies (tau-containing inclusions) and marked atrophy of the frontal and temporal regions.