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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 be dominant in subgroups of people with the disorder. More than one symptom cluster may be apparent in the same person.
Behavioral changes
The most common signs and symptoms of frontotemporal dementia involve extreme changes in behavior and personality. These include:
- Increasingly inappropriate actions
- Euphoria
- Lack of judgment and inhibition
- Apathy
- Repetitive compulsive behavior
- A decline in personal hygiene
- 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 linguistic abilities. 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.
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
- Knopman DS. Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. In: Goldman L, et al. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/109993418-3/771185545/1492/1426.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2805-5..50430-4--cesec84_18054. Accessed Nov. 12, 2008.
- Shadlen MF, et al. Dementia syndromes. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 12, 2008.
- NINDS frontotemporal dementia information page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/picks/picks.htm. Accessed Nov. 12, 2008.
- Josephs KA. Frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Neurologic Clinics. 2007;25:683.
- Petersen R. Mayo Clinic Guide to Alzheimer's Disease. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2006:115.
- Shadlen MF, et al. Evaluation of cognitive impairment and dementia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 12, 2008.
- Neurological diagnostic tests and procedures. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/misc/diagnostic_tests.htm. Accessed Nov. 12, 2008.
- Press D, et al. Treatment of behavioral symptoms related to dementia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 13, 2008.
