Catherine Loveday, Professor of Neuropsychology, has written an article for The Conversation about frontotemporal dementia.
In the piece, Professor Loveday discusses what scientists currently know about the disease through the example of American actor Bruce Willis. The 67-year-old movie star was first diagnosed with aphasia, a condition that causes difficulty with language and speech, which can be an early sign of frontotemporal dementia.
Frontotemporal dementia is an umbrella term for any disease that causes gradual loss of brain tissue in the frontal and temporal lobes, leading to changes in behaviour, personality and speech. Professor Loveday explains early signs, the progression of different variants, and the way of diagnosis which can be difficult due to its similarity to other conditions.
At the end of the article, Professor Loveday highlights that even though the focus is still on managing the symptoms, there is room for hope as scientists can now better understand which brain cells are affected.
“The key now is to translate this research into earlier and better diagnosis, and ultimately to develop drugs that will halt or reverse this devastating disease,” Professor Loveday concludes.
Read the full article on The Conversation’s website.
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