Frontotemporal Dementia: What Is It? Guidelines for Understanding This Complex Condition

What happens if dementia isn’t what it seems to be? The typical signs of frontotemporal dementia are not present in this condition. Find out more about this illness and how to spot it.

Frontotemporal Dementia: What is it?

The term frontotemporal dementia (FTD) refers to a group of neurological conditions marked by the deterioration of brain cells (neurons) in the frontal and temporal lobes.

Numerous important mental processes are carried out by these parts of the brain.

It’s common to think of the frontal lobe as our personality’s headquarters. Additionally, logic, judgment, understanding, and decision-making abilities depend on it.

It is up to the temporal lobe to interpret what we hear. It is essential to how you comprehend and use words. It serves as a crucial hub for processing visual information and memory.

The fundamental functions of these two parts of the brain are affected by frontotemporal dementia.

As FTD progresses, the connections and networks that are supported by the brain’s nerve cells disintegrate, having a significant influence on neurological functioning.

Due to the breakdown and death of these cells as well as the cumulative loss of their interconnectivity, the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain gradually shrink in size.

People with this kind of dementia frequently exhibit personality, behavior, communication, and thinking skills-impacting indications and symptoms.

FTD is frequently challenging to diagnose, and in certain situations it may be mistaken for a psychiatric or mental health illness.

What Are The Types of Frontotemporal Dementia?

There are different subtypes of frontotemporal dementia, which is a particular kind of dementia.

Primary progressive aphasia (PPA), movement-based frontotemporal dementia, and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia are the three main kinds of the disease (bvFTD).

Let’s take a closer look at each of these categories.

Progressive Primary Aphasia

Recently, reports on this FTD subtype have surfaced, albeit they are frequently mischaracterized as merely “aphasia” (which is a different issue and origin than PPA).

That’s because this is believed to be the type of dementia Bruce Willis is experiencing. 

However, what exactly is primary progressive aphasia? And how does dementia factor into this?

The main focus of primary progressive aphasia is impairments in speech, language, and communication abilities.

The word “aphasia,” which means “speechlessness” in Greek, is used to indicate problems with speech and language.

Primary progressive aphasia is a type of dementia that impairs speech and language, despite the fact that aphasia is often caused by a stroke or traumatic brain injury.

Common challenges that PPA patients encounter include—

• finding words
• Comprehending what is being said to them
• speaking challenges (may omit linking words and speak in a simplified manner known as telegraphic speech)
• reading and writing challenges
• slowed or slurred speech sounds

Depending on the sort of language issues that first manifest, primary progressive aphasia is further divided into other subtypes. In our upcoming post, we’ll go into more detail regarding the various PPA subtypes. Please subscribe.