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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staffIdentifying precisely which diseases fall into the category of frontotemporal dementia presents a particular challenge to scientists. The signs and symptoms may vary greatly from one individual to the next. Researchers have identified several clusters of symptoms that tend to occur together and are dominant in subgroups of people with the disorder. More than one symptom cluster may be apparent in the same person. The signs and symptoms of frontotemporal dementia progressively worsen with time, almost always over years, eventually requiring 24-hour care.
Behavioral changes
The most common signs and symptoms of frontotemporal dementia involve extreme changes in behavior and personality. These include:
- Increasingly inappropriate actions
- Loss of empathy and other interpersonal skills
- Lack of judgment and inhibition
- Apathy
- Repetitive compulsive behavior
- A decline in personal hygiene
- Changes in eating habits, predominantly overeating
- Lack of awareness of thinking or behavioral changes
Speech and language problems
Some subtypes of frontotemporal dementia are marked by the impairment or loss of speech and language difficulties. For example, primary progressive aphasia is characterized by an increasing difficulty in using and understanding written and spoken language. People with another subtype, semantic dementia, utter grammatically correct speech that has no relevance to the conversation at hand or may have difficulty recalling the words for common objects.
Movement disorders
Rarer subtypes of frontotemporal dementia are characterized by problems with movement, similar to those associated with Parkinson's disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which is also often called Lou Gehrig's disease.
Movement-related signs and symptoms may include:
- Tremor
- Rigidity
- Muscle spasms
- Poor coordination
- Difficulty swallowing
- Muscle weakness
- Ropper AH, et al. Degenerative diseases of the nervous system. In: Ropper AH, et al. Adams and Victor's Principles of Neurology. 9th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2009. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=3639100&searchStr=frontotemporal+dementia. Accessed Nov. 7, 2010.
- Simon RP, et al. Disorders of cognitive function. In: Simon RP, et al. Clinical Neurology. 7th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2009. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=5145195&searchStr=frontotemporal+dementia. Accessed Nov. 7, 2010.
- Randall C. Frontotemporal dementia: Clinical features and diagnosis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 7, 2010.
- NINDS Frontotemporal dementia information page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/picks/picks.htm. Accessed Nov. 7, 2010.
- Seelaar H, et al. Clinical, genetic and pathological heterogeneity of frontotemporal dementia: a review. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. In press. Accessed Nov. 7, 2010.
- Kirshner HS. Frontotemporal dementia and primary progressive aphasia: An update. Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports. 2010;10:504.
- Bird TD, et al. Dementia. In: Fauci AS, et al. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 17th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies. 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2904115&searchStr=frontotemporal+dementia. Accessed Nov. 7, 2010.
- Shadlen M, et al. Evaluation of cognitive impairment and dementia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 7, 2010.
- Neurological diagnostic tests and procedures. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/misc/diagnostic_tests.htm. Accessed Nov. 7, 2010.
- Press D, et al. Treatment of behavioral symptoms related to dementia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 7, 2010.
- Knopman DS (expert opinion), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Nov. 14, 2010.
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