What is Frontotemporal dementia?
Frontotemporal dementia is frontotemporal lobar degeneration, is an umbrella term for a diverse group of rare disorders that primarily affect the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain — the areas generally associated with personality and behavior.
In frontotemporal dementia, portions of these lobes atrophy, or shrink. Each case is different depending upon the portion of the brain affected. Some people with frontotemporal dementia undergo dramatic changes in their personality and become socially inappropriate, impulsive or emotionally blunted, while others lose the ability to use and understand language.
Frontotemporal dementia is similar to Alzheimer's disease but different. Frontotemporal dementia tends to occur at a younger age than Alzheimer's disease, typically between the ages of 40 and 70. And the memory problems associated with Alzheimer's disease are not as prominent in the early stages of frontotemporal dementia.
