Frontotemporal dementia- clinical pearls

1.  Frontotemporal dementia is a clinical term, frontolobar degeneration is a pathologic term

2.  Preservation of memory, ability to keep track of day events, timing of spouse coming to and leaving home, and lack of getting lost (intact visuospatial) are characteristic, as is young age at onset (is second most common presentation before age 65, third after).

3. FTD-bv is more common than FTD-lang presentation.  See other post for criteria.  Presentation of FTD-bv includes difficulty with modulating behaviors (disinhibition, perseveration, lack of initiative), personality change, emotional blunting and loss of insight.  Language presentation  can be a problem with expression and naming, or word meaning (semantic dementia).  Later, dementia becomes more global.  Patients have frontal lobe release signs and in some cases, evidence of MND or Parkinson's. 

4.  Web resources
www.ftd-picks.org
www.aphasia.org