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FTD

·June 3, 2025·6 min read

Seizures Often Precede Dementia in FTD

A large new study finds that epileptic seizures are significantly more common in patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) than previously believed. In some cases, seizures occurred up to 10 years before an FTD diagnosis, highlighting a potentially overlooked early symptom.

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience

·May 16, 2025·4 min read

Clues in Spinal Fluid Could Unlock Early FTD Diagnosis

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a common form of early-onset dementia, is often misdiagnosed due to its overlapping symptoms with psychiatric and neurological disorders. In a new NIH-funded study, researchers identified key protein changes in spinal fluid that may serve as the first specific biomarkers for FTD in living patients.

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience

·April 10, 2025·3 min read

Mini-Brain Models Reveal a New Dementia-Linked Protein Pathway

Scientists have discovered a new protein pathway involved in neurodegeneration by studying “mini-brain” organoids made from patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). They found that the protein GRAMD1B plays a crucial role in managing cholesterol and lipid balance within neurons—processes closely linked to Alzheimer’s and FTLD.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Psychology

·December 3, 2024·3 min read

Empathy Loss in Dementia Linked to Brain Activity Changes

Frontotemporal dementia, affecting about 3% of dementia patients in Sweden, is characterized by a loss of empathy that challenges patients and their families. Using functional MRI, researchers found that patients showed no activation in brain networks associated with empathy when viewing distressing images, unlike healthy individuals.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·October 18, 2024·6 min read

How a Brain Lipid’s Production Could Impact Dementia

Researchers have discovered how a lipid molecule, BMP, crucial for brain function, is produced, potentially opening new doors for treating neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and frontotemporal dementia. Two enzymes, PLD3 and PLD4, were found to catalyze the formation of BMP by changing the molecule’s “handedness,” allowing it to remain stable in lysosomes where other lipids are broken down.

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience

·June 14, 2024·5 min read

FUS Protein Linked to FTD and ALS Spread

A new study reveals how the FUS protein aggregates and spreads in frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The research shows that misfolded FUS proteins act like prions, spreading disease within the brain and exacerbating neurodegeneration. This discovery opens new avenues for therapeutic strategies targeting protein aggregate spread.

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience

·March 22, 2024·7 min read

ALS and Dementia Share Molecular Links

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) share remarkably similar cellular and molecular characteristics despite their different clinical manifestations. The study analyzed RNA expression in over 620,000 cells from the motor and prefrontal cortex of 73 donors, revealing nearly identical changes in gene expression in the most vulnerable neurons across both diseases. This suggests potential therapeutic targets for ALS may also be effective for FTLD, and vice versa.

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience

·December 6, 2023·5 min read

Key Protein in Frontotemporal Dementia Uncovered

The protein TAF15 is responsible for certain cases of frontotemporal dementia. Previously, the protein causing this type of dementia remained unidentified in about 10% of cases.

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience

·May 9, 2023·4 min read

Shared Genetic Defects in ALS and FTD: New Insights Into Neurodegeneration

Some patients with ALS/motor neuron disease (MND) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) carry the same rare genetic defects that cause other neurodegenerative diseases. These defects, known as short tandem repeat expansions, are the cause of more than 20 neurodegenerative diseases including spinocerebellar ataxias and myotonic dystrophy.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·April 24, 2023·4 min read

Antiviral Pathway a Potential New Target for Alzheimer’s Treatment

Inhibiting cGAS, an innate immune system enzyme allows neurons to become more resilient to tau fibrils. The new finding may serve in the development of new therapies to help treat Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia, two neurodegenerative disorders associated with tau build-up in the brain.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·January 24, 2023·4 min read

Potential Hidden Cause of Dementia Discovered

Some patients diagnosed with behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia (bv-FTD) may instead be suffering from a cerebrospinal fluid leak that leads to brain sagging.