A study published in the European Journal of Neurology analyzes the impact of neuropsychiatric symptoms like depression and anxiety on the quality of life of people living with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), an FTD disorder widely associated with movement-based symptoms. The study finds that these symptoms have a significant negative impact, underscoring the need for care that addresses the non-movement symptoms of PSP.

Author Carmela Tartaglia, MD, FRCPC, is chair-elect of AFTD’s Medical Advisory Council, and co-author Indira García-Cordero, PhD, was the first recipient of the Clinical Research Training Scholarship in FTD, a partnership co-funded by the AFTD Holloway Family Fund and the American Brain Foundation and administered by the American Academy of Neurology. She is now supported by a 2025 AFTD Pathways for Hope Pilot grant, which is cited as one of the funding sources supporting this study.

Closing a Gap in PSP Understanding

While PSP has traditionally been associated with motor symptoms like Parkinson’s disease, researchers are finding increasing evidence that cognitive and neuropsychiatric symptoms may be more common than previously established. In addition to increasing the risk of misdiagnosis, the emergence of behavioral symptoms can exacerbate the impact of motor symptoms and affect quality of life.

As the authors note, previous studies on the impact of on quality of life have focused mainly on the burden of motor symptoms. With this in mind, the authors set out to characterize the impact neuropsychiatric symptoms had on the overall quality of life of people diagnosed with PSP.

Upon reviewing the data from individuals with a clinical diagnosis of PSP, the researchers found that neuropsychiatric symptoms had a substantial impact on the quality of life of the participants. According to their statistical analysis, the authors found that depression had the most significant effect on quality of life, followed by anxiety. Importantly. These symptoms had more impact than apathy, a previously more commonly reported non-motor symptom.

People who were depressed or anxious had a harder time recognizing positive developments on their journey. These findings highlight the need to address modifiable risk factors like neuropsychiatric symptoms as part of routine PSP care; health professionals need to be vigilant in spotting and addressing such symptoms as early as possible.

Study Reviews Data from Patients at Canada PSP Center

To conduct their analysis, the authors recruited 40 people who met the criteria for probable PSP and had received care at the Rossy PSP Center in Toronto, Canada. Thirty-seven of the participants were diagnosed with the most common subtype of PSP, known as Richardson’s Syndrome, which is associated with movement-based symptoms.

Participants were included if they completed a quality-of-life questionnaire that provided data points for a statistical analysis. The data was analyzed using specialized methods and software to quantify the impact of neuropsychiatric symptoms on quality of life.

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