from Section 2 - The Dementias
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 17 November 2025
The behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) is a clinical syndrome characterized by progressive deterioration of social behavior and cognitive functions. It is one of the most common causes of early-onset dementia and is associated with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). The diagnosis of bvFTD can be challenging due to its overlap with other psychiatric disorders, but obtaining a detailed clinical history from a reliable informant is essential. Diagnostic criteria for bvFTD include behavioral and cognitive features such as loss of motivation, social disinhibition, lack of empathy, repetitive behaviors, changes in eating habits, and executive dysfunction. Biomarkers such as brain imaging and genetic testing can help increase diagnostic certainty. Disease progression in bvFTD leads to disability and functional deterioration. Future research aims to improve early recognition, diagnostic accuracy, and the development of disease-modifying treatments.
To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.