Fronto-temporal dementias are a relatively rare cause of dementia and typically develop at an earlier age than Alzheimer's disease, usually in a person in their forties or fifties. 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.

Further information