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Frontotemporal Dementia

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Neuro-Geriatrics

Abstract

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) comprises two primary variants: behavioral variant FTD (bvFTD) and primary progressive aphasia (PPA). BvFTD includes prominent behavioral disinhibition, apathy and inertia, loss of empathy or sympathy, perseverative stereotyped or ritualistic behaviors, and hyperorality and dietary changes. The diagnosis of PPA is based on an insidious decline in language, which must remain the most prominent deficit for the initial 1–2 years, and be the principle cause of impairment of Activities of Daily Living. There is a non-fluent variant of PPA, a semantic variant of PPA, and logopenic variant of PPA. The latter is typically due to Alzheimer’s disease. The former may be secondary to tau or TDP-43 pathology. There is no specific pharmacologic treatment for FTD.

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Dr. Léger reports no disclosures.

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Correspondence to Gabriel C. Léger M.D., C.M. .

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Léger, G.C. (2017). Frontotemporal Dementia. In: Tousi, B., Cummings, J. (eds) Neuro-Geriatrics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56484-5_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56484-5_9

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