Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration

Abstract

There has been extensive research about the epidemiological features of Alzheimer disease, which has helped direct therapeutic approaches. Until recently, frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) was considered to be rare and difficult to diagnose,^1,2 and relatively little is known about the demographic features. Recent studies^3,4 suggest that FTLD is the second most common diagnosis of dementia in individuals younger than 65 years. Many factors have limited research into FTLD. In particular, the size of FTLD cohorts at any one center is modest. In addition, until recently, low diagnostic accuracy for FTLD and related disorders has diminished enthusiasm for epidemiological research about this neurodegenerative disease. Finally, collaborative studies have not been possible because definitions of FTLD have varied between sites, thereby limiting the ability to combine cohorts.