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Frontal Lobe Degeneration by Penelope Roques What is it?Frontal Lobe Degeneration (FLD) is a progressive degenerative disease causing slowly progressing changes in social behaviour and character. There is intellectual decline and eventual loss of memory.What are the Symptoms?Personality Change: the person may lose their inhibitions and becomes extrovert or may become withdrawn. They may talk to strangers, particularly children, make inappropriate remarks in public, and be rude or impatient. They sometimes appear selfish which is caused by a loss of mental flexibility and being unable to see someone else’s point of view. The person may become aggressive which may be quite out of character. The development of routines and behaviour - for example the person may develop compulsory walking routines or become obsession in certain behaviours. Their behaviour is often described as childlike. Changes in sexual behaviour may be linked to general loss of inhibition or to apathy.Changes in eating habits: overeating, changes in dietary preferences, particularly for sweet foods, often cause weight gain. Excessive alcohol intake may occur. Attention: difficulty sustaining a line of thought or maintaining a conversation for any length of time often occurs. People with FLD are often easily distracted. In the early stages of the disease
the person usually remains aware of time and is able to recognise people
and faces unlike the usual presentation of Alzheimer’s disease. However,
failure to recognise faces and using objects wrongly sometimes occurs.
Mathematical skills and route finding are usually relatively well preserved.
Incontinence often occurs earlier in FLD than in Alzheimer’s disease.
What is the Lifespan of the Illness?The rate of onset may be a very rough guide to the duration of the illness. An insidious onset, with hindsight over years or decades may lead to a slower form of the illness. A more rapid onset may lead to a more quickly progressing illness lasting a mean of 7 years.Who can get Frontal Lode Degeneration & is it Genetic?Anyone can develop FTD and it affects women and men equally. It occasionally occurs in families behaving as an autosomal dominant disease, that is a parent will have had a similar disease and that any offspring have a fifty percent chance of developing the illness. Many mutations have been described in the tau gene on Chromosome 17.ManagementThere are no drugs so far which affect the progression of the disease. The drugs that are designed for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease are contraindicated in frontotemporal dementia as they may increase aggression. Management lies in coping strategies such as side stepping issues rather than being confrontational and working round obsessions rather than trying to change them. Professionals such as Art Therapists and Occupational Therapists may be helpful. A serious problem is boredom and carers have found such diverse new hobbies as art, music, rug making, walking and jigsaw puzzles helpful.Why is it called Frontal Lobe Degeneration?The atrophy (shrinkage) of the brain is most marked in the frontal lobes of the brain.| Home | Newsletters | Events | Contacts | Internet Resources | Email Directory | Phone Directory | |
