Frontotemporal Dementia

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), also called frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by severe degeneration of the frontotemporal lobe. It is the second most common cause of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease. Typical age of onset is between 45 to 65 years of age. The most common symptoms include significant changes in social and personal behavior, disinhibition, and a general blunting of emotions. FTD has been associated with pathologic aggregation of several proteins, including the microtubule-associated protein tau, which also aggregates into pathologic lesions in Alzheimer’s disease, and the proteins TDP-43 and FUS, whose aggregation is also involved in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.