Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) includes a group of brain disorders that affect the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. In this type of condition, there are portions of these regions in the brain that begin to shrink (atrophy).
Highlights
- Actor Bruce Willis has Frontotemporal dementia, his family has announced.
- This condition affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain.
- The condition is caused by an abnormal build-up of certain proteins in brain cells.
What is Frontotemporal dementia(FTD)?
Frontotemporal dementia affecting the parts of the brain responsible for personality, behavior, language, and/or movement are together referred to as FTD.
It is caused by progressive nerve cell loss in the brain’s frontal lobes or its temporal lobes. Doctors say, the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain shrink in a patient with FTD while certain substances accumulate in the brain.
Some patients face dramatic changes in their personalities and even become socially inappropriate by exhibiting impulsive or emotionally indifferent behaviour. Others lose the ability to use language properly, according to medical professionals.
Symptoms of Frontotemporal dementia(FTD)
Signs and symptoms vary depending on the area of the brain that is affected. in some cases patient lose their ability to use language.
The disease significantly affect in psychological activities such as personality changes or modifications in behavior that might make someone socially inappropriate, impulsive or apparently uncaring towards those around them.
According to the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, some people also develop physical symptoms such “as tremors, muscle spasms or weakness, rigidity, poor coordination and/or balance, or difficulty swallowing”
Is there a treatment for Frontotemporal dementia?
Currently, there are no treatments available for FTD to cure or slow its progression.
However, several healthcare professionals prescribe medicine to treat the symptoms. Antidepressants could help with anxiety issues and control obsessive-compulsive behavior. Antipsychotic medicine could help reduce the irrational nature.
Experts recommend some steps can be taken to manage symptoms, and some of those include proper nutrition, exercise, and stress management.
Actor Bruce Willis has been diagnosed with Frontotemporal dementia.
Bruce Willis has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), his family announced. The 67-year-old actor, who has had an illustrious career, was already suffering from aphasia, which causes difficulties with speech. He was diagnosed with it in 2022.
The Wills family said “Since we announced Bruce’s diagnosis of aphasia in spring 2022, Bruce’s condition has progressed,”
family continue, “Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces. While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis.”
