Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD): A Brief Introduction
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Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD): A Brief Introduction

Frontotemporal dementia is gaining more attention these days as a more prominent form of cognitive impairment among older adults and seniors. It is not a single disorder, but a group of disorders that are caused by the progressive loss of nerve cells in the frontal lobes of the brain and is sometimes referred to as “Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration”.

Proteins Involved in FTD

Damage to this area of the brain is associated with a number of problems including deterioration in behavior, personality and producing and/or comprehending language. A number of different diseases cause FTD, but the two most prominent are a group of brain disorders involving tau protein and a group involving the protein TDP43.

Picks Disease

No one is exactly sure, but these two groups of brain disorders attack frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, leading to cognitive impairment and dementia. FTD used to called “Picks disease”, after the physical Arnold Pick, MD, who first described symptoms of the disease in 1892.

2 Main Types of FTD

  1. Behavior Variant Frontotemporal Dementia is characterized by prominent changes in personality and behavior. It occurs in a person’s 50s and 60s but can occur in an individual in his or her 20s and 80s. nerve cell loss takes place in brain regions responsible for controlling conduct, judgment, empathy and foresight.
  2. Primary Progressive Aphasia affects language skills, speaking, writing and comprehension. It usually occurs before age 65, but can occur later in life as well.

Frontotemporal dementia also includes disturbance of motor function from the following three disorders:

  1. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
  2. Corticobasal Syndrome (uncoordinated arms and legs)
  3. Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (muscle stiffness, difficulty walking, change in posture and affected eye movements)

Causes of Frontotemporal Dementia

Roughly 33% of all cases of FTD are inherited, making genetics a risk factor. Other than that, there are no other known causes or risk factors. Much research is needed to determine what, other than heredity, may cause this disorder and put one at an increased risk of developing it later in life.

Treatment

Unfortunately, at this time there are no specific medications for frontotemporal dementia or related disorders. Psychiatric medications may help manage certain symptoms like depression, anxiety, and agitation. Any treatments provided are meant to do two things: manage symptoms and improve the individual’s quality of life. The person, at one point during these diseases, may require ambulatory assistance devices like walkers and wheelchairs, because they become progressively worse over time.

Final Thoughts on Frontotemporal Dementia

Much is still unknown about frontotemporal dementia, like the causes and risk factors. Regrettably, there are also no known preventions, treatments or medications for the illnesses that develop due to FTD. The answers may lie within the proteins that are involved. Only time will tell.

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