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Table 2 Principal clinical features of Fahr’s disease
| Fahr’s disease | ||
|---|---|---|
| Early onset | Late onset | |
| Cognitive impairment/dementia | A cortical dementia may develop in advanced stages | Usually starts with a subcortical dementia |
| Psychotic disorders | Organic psychosis (basal ganglia calcification); delusion has syndromic pervasiveness behavioral, is moderately structured and organized, has low emotional participation, varied content. Abnormalities of perception are rare. | Organic psychosis (dementia): delusion is poorly structured and organized, override the contents of jealousy, poisoning, and persecution. Abnormalities of perception are frequent. |
| Mood disorders | May be associated to psychotic symptoms. Depressive disorders are prevalent towards maniacal ones. | Always associated with cognitive impairment, may precede symptoms as prodromes. Prevailing depression, irritability, hyper-emotionality, apathy |
| Anxiety disorders | Possible association between Fahr’s disease and obsessive-compulsive disorder. | Possible association between Fahr’s disease and obsessive-compulsive disorder. They can also be associated to cognitive impairment |
| Other neuro psychiatric/cognitive disorders | Possible attention’s disorders. | Progressive alteration of cognitive functions (attention, language, memory, constructive abilities, etc.) |
| Extrapyramidal movement disorders | In advanced stages of the disease. | May be present since the onset. |
| Response to therapy | Poor sensibility to neuroleptic treatment; high susceptibility to side effects. | Poor response to any type of symptomatic therapy. Frequent side effects. |
