Frontotemporal dementia

Headline
Etiology
Epidemiology Less common, but be suspicious if onset age<65 - 20% of early onset dementia. M=F.
Clinical presentation • Behaviour: impulsivity, apathy, ↓ interpersonal skills, rituals/obsessionsm, ∆ eating behaviour (hyperorality)
• Semantic: ↓ understanding of word meanings, concepts; difficulty with name retrieval
• "empty" fluent speech = L temporal lobe
• Progressive non-fluent: effortful speech; comprehension intact
• Memory loss not usually predominant feature
Pathogenesis Deposition of abnormal protein, often tau. Genetic component? with Parkinson’s Disease, linked to MAPT mutations on chromosome 17
Diagnostic investigations CT head: "knife-blade" atrophy
Ddx: Vascular dementia
Management Complications:
Prevention