Impact of FTD

Behavioral variant frontotemporal Dementia (bvFTD)

Progressive shrinking of the tissue in the frontal and anterior temporal lobes of the brain defines bvFTD. The changes most commonly associated with bvFTD are a loss of social skills, loss of concern for the emotions of others, disinhibition and antisocial behaviors, poor moral reasoning, lack of initiation, inappropriate humor, trouble making plans and moderating food intake. Sometimes patients with bvFTD also develop addictive behaviors late in life or show diminished response to pain.

Semantic Dementia (SD)

SD results from progressive damage to parts of the anterior temporal lobes (the lobes of the brain near your ears). Though more commonly thought of as a language disorder, people with SD often show changes in executive function including inappropriate staring, loss of concern for the emotions of others, poor moral reasoning, lack of initiation, inappropriate humor, trouble making plans and moderating their diet.

Progressive Nonfluent Aphasia (PNFA)

Executive function changes are less common or less severe in progressive nonfluent aphasia (PNFA).