Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is an umbrella term for a group of brain disorders that primarily affect the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. These areas of the brain are generally responsible for personality, behavior, and language. FTD is rare and tends to occur at a younger age than other forms of dementia, with roughly 60% of people with FTD being 45 to 64 years old.
FTD can be caused by clumps of abnormal protein forming inside brain cells, which are thought to damage the cells and stop them from working properly. There are a number of different diseases that cause frontotemporal degeneration, but the two most prominent are a group of brain disorders involving the protein tau and a group of brain disorders involving the protein called TDP43. For reasons that are not yet known, these two groups have a preference for the frontal and temporal lobes that cause dementia.
FTD can cause a range of symptoms, including unusual behaviors, emotional problems, trouble communicating, difficulty with work, difficulty with walking, memory problems, problem-solving difficulties, and judgment problems. The disorders grouped under FTD fall into three subtypes: behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), primary progressive aphasia (PPA), and FTD with motor neuron disease (FTD-MND) . The most common subtype is bvFTD, which involves changes in personality, behavior, and judgment. In the early stages, it mainly causes changes in someone’s personality and behavior, such as losing motivation to do things that they used to enjoy, struggling to focus on tasks, and finding it difficult to plan, organize, and make decisions.
There is no single test that can diagnose FTD, and it can be misdiagnosed as a psychiatric problem or as Alzheimers disease. Typically, healthcare providers will order routine blood tests and perform physical exams to rule out other conditions that cause similar symptoms. If they suspect dementia, they may evaluate neurological and neuropsychological status. Researchers are studying ways to diagnose FTD earlier and more accurately and to distinguish them from other types of dementia.
Treatment for FTD is focused on managing symptoms and improving quality of life. There is no cure for FTD, and no treatments have been shown to slow or stop the progression of the disease.
