Fronto-temporal dementias are a relatively rare cause of dementia which typically develop at an earlier age than Alzheimer’s disease.
The frontal lobe of the brain is particularly affected in early stages.
Frontal lobe dementia is caused in a similar way to Alzheimer’s disease in that it involves a progressive decline in a person’s mental abilities over a number of years. Damage to brain cells is more localised than in Alzheimer’s disease and usually begins in the frontal lobe of the brain.
Symptoms
- The frontal lobe governs people’s mood and behaviour. The person’s mood and behaviour may become fixed and difficult to change, making them appear selfish and unfeeling
- The person does not usually have sudden lapses of memory which are characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease.