Frontotemporal Dementia
Frontotemporal dementia
accounts for less than 5%
of dementia cases in the UK
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Dementia Statistics Hub
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) has many different causes, but is still much rarer than conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. You may have heard FTD referred to as Pick's disease. It is now referred to as FTD as it affects both the frontal and the temporal lobes of the brain. These areas of the brain have different functions and depending on which area is most affected, the symptoms will differ. FTD is more likely to affect people under the age of 65 years.
Frontal Lobe
Temporal Lobe
The frontal lobes are concerned with many functions such as behaviour, problem-solving, planning, control of emotions and analysing sensory experiences. An area of usually the left frontal lobe also controls speech.
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The temporal lobes are also concerned with language, interpretation of sound and storage of visual and auditory memories. The left temporal lobe usually deals with the meaning of words and the names of objects. The right temporal lobe is usually involved in recognising faces and familiar objects.
A person may have one of three types of FTD depending on which area of the brain is affected. These are:
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Behavioural variant FTD
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Progressive non-fluent aphasia
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Semantic dementia​
Behavioural Variant FTD
Behavioural variant FTD is the most common form of FTD. During the early stages changes are seen in personality and behaviour, as this variant mainly effects the frontal lobes of the brain. Changes to personality and behaviour can be distressing for the people around them. It is important that this type of dementia is more widely known so that everyone can get the help and support they need.
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In contrast to Alzheimer's disease, the early stages of FTD does not usually present daily issues with memory and visual-spatial skills (judging relationships and distances between objects). However, some people living with FTD may experience changes to sensation and the perception of their environment. This can include sensitivity to temperature, sound or even pain.
Language Variants of FTD
The other two variants of FTD mainly affect language and communication skills control. People with progressive non-fluent aphasia have issues with speech which may become slower and more hesitant. Difficulty with grammar and comprehending complex sentences (rather than single words) are also reported.
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In semantic dementia, speech may be fluent, but vocabulary and the ability to understand what objects or who people are can change. This is more likely to cause difficulties with the meaning of single words. People may lose the ability to use familiar words and resort to using descriptions or less specific words (such as 'animal' instead of 'dog'). As with the behavioural variant, both language variants do not usually present memory and visual-spatial issues in the early stages.
Further resources
Treatment and support of frontotemporal dementia - Alzheimer's Society
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Symptoms of frontotemporal dementia - Alzheimer's Society
What causes frontotemporal dementia - Alzheimer's Society
Employment in young onset dementia - Dementia UK
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