Frontotemporal dementia
Overview
Frontotemporal dementia is an uncommon type of dementia that causes problems with behaviour and language.
Symptoms
Signs of frontotemporal dementia can include: personality and behaviour changes – acting inappropriately or impulsively, appearing selfish or unsympathetic, neglecting personal hygiene, overeating, or loss of motivationlanguage problems – speaking slowly, struggling to make the right sounds when saying a word, getting words in the wrong order, or using words incorrectlyproblems with mental abilities – getting distracted easily, struggling with planning and organisationmemory problems – these only tend to occur later on, unlike more common forms of dementia, such asAlzheimer's disease There may also be physical problems, such as slow or stiff movements, loss of bladder or bowel control (usually not until later on), muscle weakness ordifficulty swallowing. These problems can make daily activities increasingly difficult, and the person may eventually be unable to look after themselves. Read more about thesymptoms of frontotemporal dementia.
Causes
Frontotemporal dementia is caused by clumps of abnormal protein forming inside brain cells. These are thought to damage the cells and stop them working properly. The proteins mainly build up in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain at the front and sides. These are important for controlling language, behaviour, and the ability to plan and organise. It's not fully understood why this happens, but there's often a genetic link. People who get frontotemporal dementia may have relatives who were also affected by the condition. If you have a family history of frontotemporal dementia, you may want to consider talking to your doctor about being referred to a geneticist and possibly having agenetic testto see if you're at risk. There's a lot of research being done to try to improve understanding of the causes of frontotemporal dementia so treatments can be discovered. If you're interested in helping with research, you can speak to a doctor or register your interest on theJoin Dementia Researchwebsite.
Treatment
There's currently no cure for frontotemporal dementia or any treatment that will slow it down. But there are treatments that can help control some of the symptoms, possibly for several years. Treatments include: medicines – to control some of the behavioural problemstherapies – such asphysiotherapy,occupational therapy, and speech and language therapy for problems with movement, everyday tasks and communicationdementia activities– such as memory cafes, which are drop-in sessions for people with memory problems and their carers to get support and advicesupport groups – who can offer tips on managing symptoms from dementia experts and people living with frontotemporal dementia, and their families Read more abouthow frontotemporal dementia is treated.