Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a group of disorders that occur when nerve cells in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain are damaged. The cause of FTD is not fully understood, but it is thought to be caused by clumps of abnormal protein forming inside brain cells, which damage the cells and stop them from working properly. There are several disorders that can result in FTD, including:
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Behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD): This is the most common FTD and involves changes in personality, behavior, and judgment. People with this disorder may have problems with cognition, but their memory may stay relatively intact.
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Primary progressive aphasia (PPA): This involves changes in the ability to communicate, including speaking, reading, writing, and understanding what others are saying.
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Frontotemporal dementia with parkinsonism: This can be an inherited disease caused by a genetic tau genetic variant. Symptoms include movement problems similar to those of Parkinson’s disease, such as slowed movement, stiffness, and balance problems, and changes in behavior or language.
There are genetic mutations that have been linked to FTD, but more than half of the people who develop FTD have no family history of dementia. Symptoms of FTD typically first occur between the ages of 40 and 65 and can include changes in personality and behavior, progressive loss of mental abilities, and difficulty with producing or comprehending language.
