Purpose of review: To provide perspectives on the importance of understanding longitudinal profiles of posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) and report results of a scoping review to identify data and knowledge gaps related to PCA survival and longitudinal clinical and biomarker outcomes.
Recent findings: Thirteen longitudinal studies were identified; all but two had fewer than 30 participants with PCA. Relatively few longitudinal data exist, particularly for survival. In PCA, posterior cortical dysfunction and atrophy progress at faster rates compared to non-posterior regions, potentially up to a decade after symptom onset. Unlike typical AD, PCA phenotype-defined cognitive dysfunction and atrophy remain relatively more severe compared to other regions throughout the PCA course. Select cognitive tests hold promise as PCA outcome measures and for staging. Further longitudinal investigations are critically needed to enable PCA inclusion in treatment trials and to provide appropriate care to patients and enhance our understanding of the pathophysiology of dementing diseases.
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; Lewy body dementia; Longitudinal outcomes; Posterior cortical atrophy; Scoping review; Survival.
© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.