Frontotemporal dementia: Neuroanatomical correlates of an atypical presentation

Abstract

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a heterogeneous group of disorders characterised by frontal and temporal lobes atrophy. Three different clinical subtypes are recognised: behavioural variant, progressive non-fluent aphasia and semantic dementia. Neuroanatomical associations in a diffuse neurodegenerative disease such as FTD should be interpreted carefully; however, each FTD subtype has provided a clinical model that has contributed immensely to our understanding of clinical/neuroanatomical relationships. This case report and recent studies suggest that neuroanatomical findings concerning face-processing mechanisms in FTD can identify the brain regions that are critical for face processing. As seen in this case, right fusiform gyrus atrophy seems to be implied in the aetiology of prosopagnosia. Copyright 2014 BMJ Publishing Group. All rights reserved.