The Loneliness of Frontotemporal Dementia

Since areas that dictate personality rather than memory are the first to suffer, people with the disease usually land on a therapist’s couch long before finding their way to a neurologist.

 A Lesser-Known Dementia That Steals Personality

Frontotemporal dementia, unlike Alzheimer's, often hits people in the prime of their lives, and can make them act like a completely different person.

 Explainer: how is frontotemporal dementia different and what are the warning signs?

When most people hear about dementia, they picture older people with memory loss. But not all types of dementia start with memory loss.

 Eye Changes May Signal Frontotemporal Lobe Degeneration

Neurodegenerative diseases in general are challenging to diagnose, and often are confirmed only by direct examination of brain tissue at autopsy. Now that science appears to be on the brink of developing effective treatments for these diseases, the need for better diagnostic methods is becoming acute.

 Frontotemporal dementia: Devastating, prevalent and little understood

Bill Whitaker reports on FTD, a devastating illness and the most common form of dementia for Americans under the age of 60.

 What If This Was the Last Year Your Loved One Was Lucid?

Dementia patients have deteriorated in social isolation. They’ve been robbed of both their health and some of their last clear memories with family members.

 When Dementia Unlocks Creativity

Victor was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, shrinkage of the brain’s frontal and temporal lobes. The second most common cause of early-onset dementia, it brings on personality change and a neglect of social decorum.

A tragic disease robs patients of their memory, but makes their visual world flourish

Dickerson said an FTD patient’s artistic phase lasts between three and five years. After that, the disease progresses to advanced dementia.

Beastie Boy John Berry died of frontal lobe dementia – but what is it?

There is huge variation in how fronto-temporal dementia progresses. But over time, it usually affects more and more aspects of thinking and functioning. It is a condition that shortens life, with people living about three to ten years after diagnosis.

Inside The Mind Of Frontotemporal Degeneration: A Patient's Story

His major gripe with the FTD community up till now is that it’s all about caregivers. There are few resources for patients, and even the universities that head FTD studies are unlikely to offer patient support services. “Everything is for caregivers; there’s nothing for us – only my group, and that’s new. Who’s there to help us? I don’t know what I’m doing half of the time.”

Is It Alzheimer's Or Another Dementia? The Right Answer Matters

Frontotemporal degeneration is a group of disorders that also have a distinctive appearance, says Dr. Walter Koroshetz, director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, which organized the dementia summit. "Those folks can oftentimes be seen as peculiar but not demented," Koroshetz says. "But they can be severely impaired."

Terry Jones: ‘I’ve got dementia. My frontal lobe has absconded’

Unlike Alzheimer’s, there is no loss of reasoning or orientation. However, planning, decision making and speech are affected, and patients often seem less caring or concerned about their family and friends.

The social and economic burden of frontotemporal degeneration

The economic burden of FTD is substantial. Counting productivity-related costs, per-patient costs for FTD appear to be greater than per-patient costs reported for AD. There is a need for biomarkers for accurate and timely diagnosis, effective treatments, and services to reduce this socioeconomic burden.

What is Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD)?

FTD is the most common form of dementia for people under age 60. It represents a group of brain disorders caused by degeneration of the frontal and/or temporal lobes of the brain. FTD is also frequently referred to as frontotemporal dementia, frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), or Pick’s disease.