How frontotemporal dementia, the syndrome affecting Wendy Williams, changes the brain – research is untangling its genetic causes

by Fen-Biao Gao, UMass Chan Medical School Around 55 million people worldwide suffer from dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease. On Feb. 22, 2024, it was revealed that former talk show host Wendy Williams had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, or FTD, a rare type of dementia that typically affects people ages 45 to 64. Bruce Willis is another celebrity who was diagnosed with the syndrome, according to his family. In contrast to Alzheimer’s, in which the major initial symptom is memory loss, FTD typically involves changes in behavior. The initial symptoms of FTD may include changes in personality, behavior and language production. For instance, some FTD patients exhibit inappropriate social behavior, impulsivity and loss of empathy. Others struggle to find words and to express themselves. This insidious disease can be especially hard for families and loved ones to deal with. There is no cure for FTD, and there are no effective treatments. Some of the same genetic mutations can lead to FTD, ALS or symptoms of both. antoniokhr/iStock via Getty Images Plus Up to 40% of FTD cases have some family history, which means a genetic cause may run in the family. Since researchers identified the first genetic mutations that...