Question:
I have some questions related tofronto-temporal dementia.

My mother was diagnosed today, after extensive neurological testing,with FTD. I've spent all morning on the internet doing my research,but I have become very confused on two points.

#1 - Is this the same as Pick's disease, or is there an entire classof fronto-temporal dimentias and Pick's is one? Should I ask my folksto get a clarification of exactly what type of FTD this is, or isthere just one? Does it make a difference in terms ofsymptoms/treatment/prognosis?

#2 - The primary symptom I've seen listed is behavioral changes. Mymother is depressed, and has memory loss. That's it. No foodcravings, no inappropriate behavior, I've not even noticed hermisusing words. I have seen her forget I told her something 2 minutesafter I told her. I've seen her prepare a dish differently than she'sprepared it for the last 30 years or so. And I've also seen her getlost driving in a city that she's lived in for the last 29 years (ofcourse, she's always had a rotten sense of direction). None of whatI'm seeing seems like what the FTD websites are describing.

Answer: don't be confused. There are over 70 different dementiasthat mimic the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Some are reversible,some are not. One thing is for sure, dementia is dementia. They couldbe calm and docile one minute, agitated and arrogant the next. Onething is also for sure, in 15 minutes they'll forget all about it.Never reason with the person, just agree and try to create as littlestress as possible to them, and at the same time to yourself.At home care is a rough road, so prepare yourself with knowledge.It makes all the difference in the world.

Neuro-psych testing, CT scan to rule out tumors (I assume), and maybeother things, but I'm not sure. Next week she will have a PET scan,but the neurologist seems fairly confident in his diagnosis, from whatmy dad tells me.