Table 1

Proposed diagnostic criteria for posterior cortical atrophy

Mendez et al7Tang-Wai et al8
Core features

  1. Insidious onset and gradual progression

  2. Presentation with visual complaints with intact primary visual functions

  3. Evidence of predominant complex visual disorder on examination (elements of Balint's syndrome, visual agnosia, dressing apraxia, and/or environmental disorientation)

  4. Proportionally less impaired deficits in memory and verbal fluency

  5. Relatively less impaired deficits in memory and verbal fluency

  6. Relatively preserved insight with or without depression

  1. Insidious onset and gradual progression

  2. Visual complaints with a normal ocular examination

  3. Relatively preserved anterograde memory and insight early in the disorder

  4. Disabling visual complaints throughout the disorder

  5. Absence of stroke, tumor, early parkinsonism and hallucinations

  6. Any of the following: simultanagnosia and/or optic ataxia/apraxia; constructional apraxia; visual field defects; environmental disorientation; elements of Gerstmann's syndrome

Supportive features

  1. Presenile onset

  2. Alexia

  3. Elements of Gerstmann's syndrome

  4. Ideomotor apraxia

  5. Physical examination within normal limits

  1. Alexia

  2. Presenile onset

  3. Ideomotor/dressing apraxia

  4. Prosopagnosia

Investigations (supportive)

  1. Predominantly impaired perceptual deficits on neuropsychological testing

  2. Predominantly occipitoparietal abnormalities with relatively spared frontal and mesiotemporal regions on neuroimaging (structural and/or functional)

  1. Neuropsychological deficits referable parieto-occipital regions

  2. Focal/asymmetrical deficits in the parieto-occipital regions on neuroimaging (structural and/or functional)