Symptomatology and treatment of fronto-temporal lobar degeneration

Ikeda Manabu

Department of Psychiatry and Neuropathobiology, Faculty of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kumamoto University

Distinctive unusual behaviors of Fronto-temporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), such as disinhibition, loss of social awareness, overeating, perseverative and stereotyped behavior, and impulsivity, are serious obstacles to managing and caring for patients with FTLD. Behavior modification and environmental manipulation should be considered in the care of FTLD before any pharmacologic treatment. Care of patients with FTLD, without memory, praxic or visuospatial disturbances, is potentially easier than care of patients with Alzheimer's disease, if stimulus-bound behaviors and stereotypies can be appropriately utilized in a positive sense. Following the finding that serotonin receptor binding is decreased in the brain of FTLD patients, it is suggested that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) might improve behavioral symptoms of FTLD patients.

Address correspondence to Dr. Ikeda Manabu, Department of Psychiatry and Neuropathobiology, Faculty of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kumamoto University (1-1-1 Honjo, Kumamoto 860-8556, Japan)