Frontotemporal disorders (FTD), commonly called frontotemporal dementia, are caused by damage to neurons in the frontal (front) and temporal (side) lobes of the brain, potentially causing affected areas to atrophy (shrink and lose brain cells).
Frontotemporal disorders are rare and typically affect people at a younger age than other types of dementia. About 60 percent of people living with FTD are between the ages of 45 and 64, according to the National Institute on Aging.
In the early stages of frontotemporal disorders, people may have only one symptom. But as more parts of the brain become affected, other symptoms may develop. Symptoms can vary significantly from person to person, but there are clusters of symptoms that tend to occur together.
Extreme changes in behavior and personality are the most common group of symptoms seen in frontotemporal disorders, and can include the following:
- Inappropriate social behavior that becomes progressively worse
- Loss of interpersonal skills, including empathy
- Lack of inhibition or judgment
- Loss of motivation or interest
- Repetitive compulsive behavior
- Problems with personal hygiene
- Overeating or other changes related to eating habits
- Eating inedible objects (or putting them in mouth)
Some people with frontotemporal disorders experience problems with speech and language. These symptoms can include:
- Difficulty finding the right word or naming objects
- No longer knowing the meaning of words
- Making mistakes in sentence construction
- Using simple, two-word sentences
In rare cases, frontotemporal disorders cause movement symptoms similar to those of Parkinson’s disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease). These symptoms may include:
- Tremor
- Rigidity
- Muscle spasms
- Coordination problems
- Difficulty swallowing
- Muscle weakness
- Difficulty walking
