Abstract
Frontotemporal lobal degeneration (FTLD) is a clinically heterogeneous group of sporadic and familial neurodegenerative diseases characterized by dementia, alteration in language and/or behaviour, loss of executive skills and sometimes Parkinsonian features resulting from degeneration predominantly affecting the anterior frontal and temporal regions of the brain. Three main clinical subtypes including frontotemporal dementia (FTD), semantic dementia (SD) and progressive non-fluent aphasia (PNFA) have been described depending on the clinical phenomenology,the areas of the brain where the disorder begins and where the most extensive degeneration occurs. We describe a case of frontotemporal dementia in a 58 year old Nigerian woman and also review the current literature. Recent genetic studies have expanded the frontiers of knowledge about FTD while the search for appropriate drug treatments continues.
Keywords: Frontotemporal, dementia, degeneration, semantic dementia, frontiers.
Résumé
La dégénération du lobe Frontotemporale (DLFT) est cliniquement un groupe hétérogéne, sporadique et familiale de maladies neurodégénérative caractérisée par la démentie, altération du language et/ou comportement, perte des techniques d’éxecution et souvent les caratéristiques du parkinson résultant de la dégénération prédominant des régions antérieure frontale et temporale du cerveau. Trois sous types cliniques inclut la démentie frontotemporale (DFT), démentie sémantique (DS) et l’aphasie progréssive non-fluente (APNF) sont décrit dépendant de la phénomenologie clinique, des régions du cerveau ou le désordre commence et ou la dégénération plus extensive apparait. Nous décrivons un cas de démentie frontotemporale chez une femme Nigérianne de 58 ans et aussi revisite la littérature courrante. Les études génétiques récentes ont étendues les frontieres des connaissances sur le DFT bien que la recherche des médicaments appropriés continue.
Correspondence: Dr. R.O. Akinyemi, Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Federal Medical Centre, PMB 3031, Sapon PO, Abeokuta, Nigeria. Email: rufusakinyemi@yahoo.com
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