Frontal lobe dementia
Frontal lobe dementia (Frontotemporal Dementia, FTD) strikes people at an earlier age. After Alzheimer's disease, FTD is the form of dementia that occurs most frequently in patients younger than 65. In FTD, the disease process starts in the frontal lobe where large numbers of brain cells begin to die off.
The frontal lobe is the foremost part of the brain and constitutes about 30% of the brain. Among other things, it is involved in regulating behavior, movement and mood, and it is responsible for cognitive functions such as language. So, the first clinical signs of FTD are changes in behavior and personality, and then, in a later stage of the disease, the loss of memory functions.
Alzheimer’s disease - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Stages, Types, Prevention, Prognosis & Treatment
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting memory and thinking and making the person increasingly dependent on others.
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting memory and thinking and making the person increasingly dependent on others.
Genetic research has shown previously that there is a genetic defect in chromosome 17 in a large percentage of the families with FTD. There are two genes in chromosome 17 that, if a defect occurs, cause a hereditable form of FTD.
In 1998, defects were found in the gene for the tau protein, a substance that appears in the protein clots in the brains of FTD and Alzheimer's patients.
Dementia
There are over 24 million people with dementia and its incidence is on the rise. Prevention through lifestyle changes is the sensible way to a dementia-free life.
There are over 24 million people with dementia and its incidence is on the rise. Prevention through lifestyle changes is the sensible way to a dementia-free life.
This has been confirmed by Christine Van Broeckhoven's team, who have shown that a shortage of this growth factor leads to the dying off of brain cells in the frontal lobe and in this way causes FTD. New results indicate that progranulin also plays a role in the death of brain cells in other diseases of the brain, such as Alzheimer's disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
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Protein That Halts Dementia in Alzheimer's Identified
In a breakthrough study, researchers at Case Western Reserve University have discovered that a protein called cyclin-dependent kinase5 (Cdk5), which curbs cell division in brain cells,
In a breakthrough study, researchers at Case Western Reserve University have discovered that a protein called cyclin-dependent kinase5 (Cdk5), which curbs cell division in brain cells,
On the basis of their research, Kristel Sleegers, a scientist in Van Broeckhoven's team, has developed a test for measuring the quantity of progranulin in the blood in a simple way. This test enables one to determine whether someone has an increased risk of FTD due to a shortage of progranulin long before symptoms appear.
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Dementia Risk in Elderly Reduced by Statins
Cholesterol-lowering drugs like statins may lower dementia risk in older adults, according to a new study.
Cholesterol-lowering drugs like statins may lower dementia risk in older adults, according to a new study.
However, it is still too early for a medicine to combat FTD. Further scientific research is needed to determine how a shortage of progranulin can be restored to normal.
Source-Eurekalert
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