Many here will identify with the wife whose husband has FTD (frontotemporal dementia), and has become a stranger to her.

The article, which appeared in yesterday's New York Times, is the story of a Manhattan-based couple. Before the husband was diagnosed with FTD in his 60s, the wife was considering divorce. The wife talks about losing control when dealing with her husband, and grieving though he's still alive. Eventually, the wife had to place him in a care facility for both of their safety. She spends several hours a day with him.

The wife notes that MDs are at a loss to forecast the progression: "They can tell you everything that’s ever happened to anyone, but they can’t tell you what’s going to happen to you," she said.

Dr. Bruce Miller from UCSF's Memory & Aging Center is quoted frequently as UCSF is one of the lead institutions in the US for FTD research.

There is a second article about three proteins that can be involved with FTD -- 40% of cases involve tau (which is part of Alzheimer's Disease), 50% of cases involve TDP-43, and 10% of cases involve FUS.

Robin


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http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/06/healt ... worse.html

May 5, 2012
New York Time
The Vanishing Mind
When Illness Makes a Spouse a Stranger
By Denise Grady


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http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/06/healt ... entia.html

May 5, 2012
The New York Times
Studies Tie Abnormal Protein Buildup to Dementia
By Denise Grady

There's a touching video about the couple dealing with FTD:
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2012/05/ ... -loss.html

It was on the front page; I saw it when I was in Starbucks, bought it immediately, and read it before I backed out of the parking lot. My hb was diagnosed with FTD, then changed to Lewy. i could certainly relate to this couple's experience. When his impairment was less severe, and for years before his diagnosis, I could never predict who I'd be dealing with any given day. The article is well worth reading, and the decision to place it on the front page sends a message about the importance of the search for answers.