frontotemporal dementia

American  

[fruhn-toh-tem-per-uhl di-men-shuh, dih-men-shee-uh] / ˌfrʌn toʊˈtɛm pər əl dɪˈmɛn ʃə, dɪˈmɛn ʃi ə /

noun

1. one of several brain disorders caused by degeneration of the frontal and/or temporal lobes of the brain and associated with behavioral changes, such as loss of inhibition, or with language impairment, such as difficulty finding words or the loss of one’s ability to speak fluently and grammatically. FTD

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Etymology

Origin of frontotemporal dementia

First recorded in 1890–95; fronto- ( def. ) + temporal ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Nearly 7 million Americans have dementia — the actor Bruce Willis, who has frontotemporal dementia, is merely the most famous — and as many as 57 million people worldwide.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 7, 2026

When the team administered the S3QEL compound to mice engineered to model frontotemporal dementia, they observed reduced astrocyte activation, lower levels of inflammatory gene expression, and a decrease in a tau modification linked to dementia.

From Science Daily • Nov. 6, 2025

A Westlake Village man living with frontotemporal dementia has something few people with the condition do: the ability to describe his disease.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 11, 2025

His charity is now funding the development of a new blood test trial to detect signs of frontotemporal dementia 10 to 20 years before it is diagnosed.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2025

“We looked at the umbrella of all dementia diagnoses, but certain sub-types like Alzheimer’s or frontotemporal dementia might have stronger links with wildfire PM2.5,” Casey said.

From Salon • Jan. 10, 2025