brain, spinal cord, and nerve disorders
Frontotemporal Dementia
Introduction
Frontotemporal dementia, which refers to a group of dementias, results from hereditary or spontaneous (occurring for unknown reasons) disorders that cause the frontal and sometimes the temporal lobe of the brain to degenerate. Personality, behavior, and language function are affected more and memory less than in Alzheimer disease. Doctors base the diagnosis on symptoms and results of a neurologic examination and use imaging tests to assess the brain damage. Treatment aims to manage symptoms. (See also Overview of Delirium and Dementia and Dementia is a slow, progressive decline in mental function including memory, thinking, judgment, and the ability to learn. Dementia differs from Delirium , which is characterized by an inability to pay attention, disorientation, an inability to think clearly, and fluctuations in the level of alertness. Dementia affects mainly memory, and delirium affects mainly attention. Dementia typically begins gradually and has no definite beginning point. Delirium begins suddenly and often has a definite beginning point. About 1 of 10 dementias is a frontotemporal dementia. Typically, the dementia develops in people younger than 65. Men and women are affected about equally. Frontotemporal dementias tend to run in families. About half of frontotemporal dementias are inherited. Brain cells contain abnormal amounts or types of a protein called tau. In these dementias, the Cerebrum shrink (atrophy), and nerve cells are lost. These areas of the brain are generally associated with personality and behavior. There are several types of frontotemporal dementia. For example,Pick diseaseis a term used to describe some of the changes in the brain caused by a specific type of frontotemporal dementia. It is characterized by severe atrophy, loss of brain cells, and the presence of abnormal brain cells (Pick cells). 