Cited by 612Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ResearchDementia and Cognitive Impairment ResearchAlzheimer's disease research and treatments

Clinical, genetic and pathological heterogeneity of frontotemporal dementia: A review

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Seelaar, H., Rohrer, J. D., Pijnenburg, Y. A. L., Fox, N. C., van Swieten, J. C.·2011·Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry

Abstract

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is the second most common young-onset dementia and is clinically characterised by progressive behavioural change, executive dysfunction and language difficulties. Three clinical syndromes, behavioural variant FTD, semantic dementia and progressive non-fluent aphasia, form part of a clinicopathological spectrum named frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). The classical neuropsychological phenotype of FTD has been enriched by tests exploring Theory of Mind, social cognition and emotional processing. Imaging studies have detailed the patterns of atrophy associated with different clinical and pathological subtypes. These patterns offer some diagnostic utility, while measures of progression of atrophy may be of use in future trials. 30-50% of FTD is familial, and mutations in two genes, microtubule associated protein tau and Progranulin (GRN), account for about half of these cases. Rare defects in VCP, CHMP2B, TARDP and FUS genes have been found in a small number of families. Linkage to chromosome 9p13.2-21.3 has been established in familial FTD with motor neuron disease, although the causative gene is yet to be identified. Recent developments in the immunohistochemistry of FTLD, and also in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), have led to a new pathological nomenclature. The two major groups are those with tau-positive inclusions (FTLD-tau) and those with ubiquitin-positive and TAR DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa (TDP-43) positive inclusions (FTLD-TDP). Recently, a new protein involved in familial ALS, fused in sarcoma (FUS), has been found in FTLD patients with ubiquitin-positive and TDP-43-negative inclusions. In this review, the authors discuss recent clinical, neuropsychological, imaging, genetic and pathological developments that have changed our understanding of FTD, its classification and criteria. The potential to establish an early diagnosis, predict underlying pathology during life and quantify disease progression will all be required for disease-specific therapeutic trials in the future.

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Crossref · 10.1136/jnnp.2010.212225

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  • The frontal cortex and striatum have been previously shown to be susceptible to age-related neurodegenerative diseases.

    “These brain regions have been previously shown to be susceptible to age-related neurodegenerative diseases.”

    From Molecular and spatial signatures of mouse brain aging at single-cell resolution (2023) · cites this paper as [33]

    The NEUROIMAGING section reports that mild behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia involves frontal cortices and the striatum. The EPIDEMIOLOGY section gives ages of onset for FTD, but the paper does not establish that both regions are susceptible to age-related neurodegenerative diseases generally; its anatomical finding is specific to FTD. Page numbers were not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.82)

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  • Correlations between clinical syndrome and the type of pathological protein in frontotemporal dementia are generally weak.

    “However, there are several different pathological proteins and aggregation morphologies in FTD, with generally weak correlations between clinical syndrome and the type of pathological protein (Seelaar et al., 2011)”

    From Neuroinflammation and protein aggregation co-localize across the frontotemporal dementia spectrum (2020) · cites this paper as Seelaar et al., 2011

    The Clinical Presentation section (page unavailable) says that associations between PPA syndromes and underlying pathology are “relatively strong,” though not absolute. The Future Directions section (page unavailable) indicates that distinguishing pathological subtypes of behavioural-variant FTD during life remains difficult. Thus, the review supports limited clinical prediction for some FTD presentations, but not the blanket characterization of correlations as generally weak. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • There are several different pathological proteins and aggregation morphologies in frontotemporal dementia.

    “However, there are several different pathological proteins and aggregation morphologies in FTD, with generally weak correlations between clinical syndrome and the type of pathological protein (Seelaar et al., 2011)”

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. Pick A. U ¨ber die Beziehungen der senilen Hirnatropie zur Aphasie. Pragen Medizinischen Wochenschrift 1892;17:165e7.
  2. Alzheimer A. U ¨ber eigenartige Krankheitsfa ¨lle des spa ¨teren Alters. Zbl Ges Neurol Psych 1911;4:356e85.

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Authors
Seelaar, H., Rohrer, J. D., Pijnenburg, Y. A. L., Fox, N. C., & van Swieten, J. C.
Affiliations
  • Erasmus MC (NL)
  • National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (GB)
  • Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (NL)
Venue
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry
Publisher
BMJ
Published
2010-10-22
Volume
82
Issue
5
Pages
476-486
ISSN
0022-3050 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2102932082
Cited by
609
References
222
Citations by year
2026: 16 · 2025: 22 · 2024: 39 · 2023: 23 · 2022: 35 · 2021: 33 · 2020: 44 · 2019: 42 · 2018: 34 · 2017: 31 · 2016: 49 · 2015: 41 · 2014: 45 · 2013: 65 · 2012: 54
FWCI
6.24
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Amsterdam UMC (VU Amsterdam) - Institutional Repository (publishedVersion)
  • HAL (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Digital Academic REpository of VU University Amsterdam (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) (submittedVersion)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
  • HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
  • Pure Amsterdam UMC (submittedVersion)
  • Trinity's Access to Research Output (TARA) (Trinity College Dublin) (submittedVersion)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Alzheimer's Research Trust
  • National Institute for Health and Care Research (NF-SI-0508-10123)
  • Hersenstichting
  • Stichting Dioraphte
  • Medical Research Council
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Neurology › Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
Keywords
frontotemporal dementia, frontotemporal lobar degeneration, semantic dementia, progressive nonfluent aphasia, tauopathy, TDP-43, FUS, progranulin, tau protein, VCP, CHMP2B, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, neuroimaging, brain atrophy, neuropsychological assessment, disease progression, early diagnosis, genetic heterogeneity
MeSH terms
Progranulins, Brain, Cognition, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Risk Factors, Social Perception, Biomarkers, tau Proteins, Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins, Executive Function, Frontotemporal Dementia

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