Not all types of dementia cause memory loss: what happens when it strikes early
This article explains frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a group of brain disorders that primarily affect personality, behavior, and language rather than memory. It highlights how early symptoms are often misidentified as psychiatric issues or midlife crises, complicating diagnosis and family support.
Why it matters
Understanding non-memory-related dementia is crucial for early clinical intervention and reducing the social stigma faced by patients exhibiting behavioral changes.
What happens when a previously stable person begins making reckless financial decisions, becomes indifferent to family members or uses socially inappropriate language? Such changes may be mistaken for stress, depression or a midlife crisis. When progressive, however, they can signal frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a group of disorders that predominantly affect the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain.
Dementia is an umbrella term for disorders affecting cognitive functions such as memory, language, attention, planning and judgment. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form, but there are several types.
In FTD, the frontal and temporal lobes are predominantly affected. “These areas are important for personality, behaviour, decision-making and language,” says K. Subramaniyan, clinical lead and senior consultant, neurology, SRM Prime Hospital, Chennai.
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