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• Loss of inhibition. A once normally functioning person might start with inappropriate sexual remarks, advances, or undressing themselves in public.

• Apathy or loss of interest. This can seem like depression.

• Repetitive compulsive behaviorstapping, clapping, lip smacking, etc.

• Decreased personal hygiene.

• Altered eating habits. Overeating, preferring sweets and carbohydrates, or eating non-food items.

• Compulsively putting things into the mouth.

Some variants of FTD chiefly impair speech and language, with symptoms of:

• Trouble using and understanding language. This may manifest as trouble finding the correct word when speaking and difficulty in naming objects.

• Replacing the specific name of an object with a general term like “it.”

• Forgetting word meanings.

• Hesitant speech.

• Mistakes in sentence construction.

Motor symptoms are less common and consist of movement problems that can resemble Parkinson’s disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS):

• Tremors.

• Rigidity.

• Muscle spasms or twitches.

• Trouble swallowing.

• Muscle weakness

• Falls or walking problems.

• Inappropriate laughing or crying (Officially termed pseudobulbar affect).

Because FTD and other early onset dementias are rare, the diagnosis can take months or years to figure out.

Here are some online resources for affected patients and their families.

• The multisite research consortium on longitudinal frontotemporal lobar degeneration can be found at allftd.org.

• The Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s disease at Northwestern University provides information on language dementias (www.brain.northwestern. edu/dementia/ppa/research.html)

And for caregivers Duet Partners in health and aging has a virtual program for family and caregivers (DuetAZ.org).