Common Features/Symptoms of Frontotemporal Dementia
Caused by disorders that primarily affect the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain
- Commonly diagnosed between the ages of 45 and 65
- Evidence of a genetic component
- 3 main variants or types of FTD (1. Behavioral Variant, 2. Primary Progressive Aphasia, 3. Progressive Motor Decline)
Things we may see with Behavioral Variant:
- Significant impact on personality, behavior, and judgment
- Swearing more, stealing, more sexually explicit
- Poor hygiene habits
- Increased impulsiveness
- Increased aggression
- Mood swings
- Emotionally disconnected and socially inappropriate
- Apathy
Things we may see with Primary Progressive Aphasia:
- Loss of ability to understand or express speech
- Word finding difficulties
- Loss of ability to recognize familiar faces or common objects
- Difficulty producing speech to the point they may not be able to speak at all
Things we may see with Progressive Motor Decline:
- Difficulty with physical movement
- Tremors or jerk-like movements
- Muscle rigidity and stiffness
- Difficulty walking
- Impaired balance
- Poor gross and fine motor coordination
- Slowed movements
- Increased Muscle Weakness
Want to learn more about Frontotemporal Dementia?
https://www.alz.org/media/documents/alzheimers-dementia-frontotemporal-dementia-ts.pdf
https://order.nia.nih.gov/sites/default/files/2019-04/Frontotemporal-Disorders-booklet-508.pdf
