Frontotemporal dementia ( FTD ), or frontotemporal degeneration disease , [1] or frontotemporal neurocognitive disorder , [2] encompasses several types of dementia involving the progressive degeneration of frontal and temporal lobes . [3] FTDs broadly present as behavioral or language disorders with gradual onsets. [4] Common signs and symptoms include significant changes in social and personal behavior, apathy, blunting of emotions, and deficits in both expressive and receptive language. Currently, there i
Frontotemporal dementias are mostly early-onset syndromes that are linked to frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), [5] which is characterized by progressive neuronal loss predominantly involving the frontal or temporal lobes, and a typical loss of more than 70% of spindle neurons , while other neuron types remain intact. [6] The three main subtypes or variant syndromes are a behavioral variant (bvFTD) previously known as Pick's disease , [7] [8] and two variants of primary progressive aphasia – semantic
Signs and symptoms tend to appear in late adulthood, typically between the ages of 45 and 65. [10] Men and women appear to be equally affected. [9] FTD is the second most prevalent type of early onset dementia after Alzheimer's disease . [9] [11] Considered individually, each of the subtypes is relatively rare. [11]