FTD explained: Experts on brain disorder’s symptoms and treatment

Fans and followers of Hollywood icon Bruce Willis were shocked and saddened by the news of the actor’s diagnosis with frontotemporal dementia, or FTD, a rare form of dementia.

The family shared the diagnosis with fans to help raise awareness of this condition, releasing this statement about Willis’ condition to the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration:

“Since we announced Bruce’s diagnosis of aphasia in spring 2022, Bruce’s condition has progressed and we now have a more specific diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia (known as FTD),” the statement said in part. “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. FTD is a cruel disease that many of us have never heard of and can strike anyone.”

Those who have never heard of this condition may be wondering what it is — what are the symptoms, causes and treatments? What do you do if you or a family member is diagnosed with FTD?

What is FTD and how rare is it?

“FTD is actually a group of brain disorders that cause progressive degeneration of the neurons in the brain and, as the name suggests, affects primarily the frontal lobe, located behind the forehead, and temporal areas, located behind the ears on each side, of the brain,” said Allison B. Reiss, M.D., associate professor, Departments of Medicine and Foundations of Medicine, NYU Long Island School of Medicine.

“It is irreversible and has a relatively young age of onset, most diagnosed between the ages of 45 and 64 years.”

FTD is rare with about 50,000 to 60,000 people in the U.S. having been diagnosed with an FTD, according to Reiss.

What makes FTD different from other forms of dementia?

“It occurs in younger persons; memory may remain intact until late in the disease while memory impairment is often seen early in Alzheimer’s disease. In FTD, there is no accumulation of amyloid protein, which is a key feature of Alzheimer’s disease,” said Reiss.

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