Behavioural changes in PPA
Behavioural changes are frequent in PPA and may take many different forms. These changes can occur in one PPA variant and not in another, depending on the patient.
Here is a list of possible behavioural changes:
- Anxiety (feeling very stressed for no reason, constantly imagining the worst-case scenario)
- Depression (sadness, guilt)
- Apathy (spending the whole day doing nothing and not feeling bad about it)
- Lack of empathy towards others
- Social disinhibition (having inappropriate behaviours in public)
- Lack of judgment regarding potentially dangerous situations/behaviours
- Irritability
- Simplistic humor
- Pathological sweet tooth
- Overreaction to pain and temperature
- Rigidity regarding routine, activities, and dietary choices
- Compulsive/repetitive behaviours (e.g., numbers, puzzles)