Frontotemporal dementia: Addressing the scattered harbingers of genetics and its relationship with glucose metabolism, bipolar disorder, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Abstract

Frontotemporal Dementia, also known by the name Pick's disease, is a rare form of dementia that can run for several generations. The two key characteristics are argyrophilic, spherical intraneuronal inclusions, which most frequently impact the frontal and temporal poles, and localized cortical atrophy (Pick bodies). Although personality decline and memory loss are frequently more severe than the visuospatial and apraxia disorders that are common in Alzheimer's disease, clinical overlap with other non-Alzheimer degenerative disorders is being increasingly recognized. The limbic system, which includes the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, and amygdala, typically experiences the greatest levels of neuronal loss and degeneration. In the hippocampus's dentate fascia, several Pick bodies are frequently seen. Leukoencephalopathy and inflated cortical neurons are less specific symptoms (Pick cells). In this paper, we review the factors leading to Picks disease along with its pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, imaging, treatment, prognosis, and a comprehensive discussion on the same. We have also discussed the relationship of frontotemporal dementia with glucose metabolism, bipolar disorder, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, all of which are emerging fields of interest and need more studies.