Scientists Study Fronto-Temporal Dementia

British scientists have started a two-year pilot project to investigate the genetic links behind fronto-temporal dementia.

Researchers from Britain’s Medical Research Council and University College London’s Institute of Neurology have received a $59,000 (30,000 pound) grant from the Cambridge-based Alzheimer’s Research Trust to investigate the genetic links behind the devastating brain disease that’s the second most common cause of dementia in Britons under 65 after Alzheimer’s.

The researchers, led by Dr. Adrian Isaacs of the MRC prion unit, said the disease, which results in profound personality and behavioral changes, appears to have a much stronger genetic link than does Alzheimer’s disease.

The scientists will investigate the interactions between two genes that have been identified as the cause of fronto-temporal dementia. The aim of the study is to uncover the cause behind the majority of such dementia cases, as well as offering new insights into Alzheimer’s disease.

One or both of the genes might also offer a useful target for scientists working to develop anti-dementia drugs, the researchers said.