Lines of research

Although knowledge about frontotemporal dementia has grown considerably in recent decades, the causes of the vast majority of cases still remain unknown. There are currently multiple lines of research in progress:

• Studies of asymptomatic carriers of genetic mutations that cause frontotemporal dementia: the brain changes that are characteristic of frontotemporal dementia begin years before symptoms appear. Carriers of symptomless mutations that cause frontotemporal dementia allow the preclinical stages of the disease to be studied.
• Biomarker studies of patients with frontotemporal dementia: The diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia is currently primarily clinical. The signs and symptoms can be easily confused with those of other neurological or psychiatric diseases. This is why it is important to find biomarkers (biological changes in blood analyses, cerebrospinal fluid or brain imaging) to improve the diagnosis of patients with frontotemporal dementia.  
• Drug studies of patients with frontotemporal dementia: there are currently experimental drug studies of patients with frontotemporal dementia caused by mutations in the progranulin gene.