What is frontotemporal dementia?

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a brain condition that causes damage to the frontal or temporal lobes of your brain. It can cause changes in your:

• behaviour
• personality
• language
• movement

Frontotemporal dementia usually affects people between 45 and 65 years of age. It's the second most common type of dementia, after Alzheimer's disease, in people under 65 years of age.

What are the types of frontotemporal dementia?

There are different types of frontotemporal dementia:

• Behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia — this occurs when your frontal lobes of your brain are affected. It causes changes in your behaviour, personality and judgement.
• Primary progressive aphasia — this occurs when your temporal lobes of your brain are affected. It causes a loss of language skills followed by behaviour changes.

There are 3 types of primary progressive aphasia:

1. Progressive non-fluent aphasia — this is when you slowly lose the ability to speak fluently.
2. Semantic dementia — this is when you have trouble assigning meaning to words or thinking of the right word. You may also have trouble recognising people or objects.
3. Logopenic aphasia — this is when you have trouble thinking of the right word to say. It might take you a long time to say things.

Rarely, people with frontotemporal dementia also develop movement disorders, such as:

• motor neuron disease
• corticobasal syndrome
• progressive supranuclear palsy

What are the symptoms of frontotemporal dementia?

The symptoms of frontotemporal dementia usually start slowly and get worse over time.

Behavioural symptoms

If you have behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia you may:

• stop taking care of yourself or neglect your personal hygiene
• lose motivation for usual hobbies or social contact
• act impulsively and lose inhibitions (say or do things you normally wouldn't)
• get distracted easily
• experience different eating habits — you may crave sweet foods or unusual foods
• have difficulty in reasoning, judging and planning
• not be able to adapt to new situations

Aphasia symptoms

Primary progressive aphasia can cause a gradual loss of ability to:

• speak
• write
• read
• understand language

Unlike in Alzheimer's disease, your memory may not be affected in the beginning.

Movement symptoms

Some less common movement symptoms related to frontotemporal dementia are:

• tremor (trembling)
• moving slowly
• reduced range of movement of your face
• stooped posture
• unsteady gait (walking)

What causes frontotemporal dementia?

Usually, it's not known why someone develops frontotemporal dementia.

In about 1 in 3 cases, it's caused by genetics — this is called familial frontotemporal dementia. Genetic testing is the only way to find out if frontotemporal dementia is linked to genetics in your family.

There is evidence that some factors increase your chance of developing frontotemporal dementia, such as:

• having a traumatic brain injury (TBI)
• experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

When should I see my doctor?

You should see your doctor if you:

• think you have early symptoms of frontotemporal dementia
• are worried about any changes in your behaviour or language

How is frontotemporal dementia diagnosed?

To diagnose frontotemporal dementia, your doctor will:

• ask about your medical history
• ask about your symptoms and how long you have had them — it may help to bring a family member or friend with you to help answer these questions
• examine you
• ask you to do a Mini-Mental State Examination — this is a short test to check for problems with thinking and memory

Your doctor may refer you to a specialist, such as a geriatrician.

Your doctor or specialist may also organise:

• urine tests
• blood tests
• a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of your brain
• a computed tomography (CT) scan of your brain
• a positron emission tomography (PET) scan of your brain
• genetic testing (a blood test or saliva test to look at your genes)

How is frontotemporal dementia treated?

There is currently no known cure for frontotemporal dementia.

There are treatments that can help you manage your symptoms. These can include:

• counselling — talking to a counsellor can help you with changes in your behaviour and mood
• speech therapy — a speech therapist can help with any language difficulties
• occupational therapy — an occupational therapist can help improve your everyday life at home

If these steps have not helped with your symptoms, your doctor may recommend medicines such as:

• antidepressants
• antipsychotics

What are the complications of frontotemporal dementia?

As frontotemporal dementia progresses, possible complications include:

• poor nutrition — this is usually due to a change in appetite
• increased risk of falls
• the need to stop driving

In the later stages of the frontotemporal dementia, you may find it difficult to care for yourself. You will become increasingly dependent on carers.

Can frontotemporal dementia be prevented?

Some types of frontotemporal dementia are due to factors that can't be changed, such as genetics.

Often, there are ways you can lower your chance of developing frontotemporal dementia, including:

• having a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy weight
• exercising regularly
• stopping smoking
• reducing how much alcohol you drink
• having regular contact with friends or family
• avoiding air pollution where possible
• keeping your brain active

It's also important to manage any health conditions you have, such as:

• hypertension (high blood pressure)
• high cholesterol
• diabetes
• hearing loss
• depression
• vision problems

Resources and support

Visit Dementia Australia for information on:

• frontotemporal dementia
• genetics and dementia
• planning ahead if you have dementia
• younger onset dementia

Call Dementia Australia on 1800 100 500 to speak to an experienced counsellor. They support people living with dementia, families, friends and carers.

The Australian Frontotemporal Dementia Association (AFTDA) has information and support for carers.

Call the National Dementia Helpline 1800 100 500 or use their webchat. They offer advice and support to family and friend carers of people with dementia.

Contact My Aged Care to see if government-funded residential respite care (short term care) is available.

Languages other than English

Mindcare Collective has videos in languages other than English, including topics on:

• what is dementia
• how to reduce your dementia risk

Health Translations Victoria has a fact sheet on frontotemporal dementia in multiple languages.

You can also call the healthdirect helpline on 1800 022 222 (known as NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria). A registered nurse is available to speak with you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.