Making an Appointment
To schedule a clinic appointment with one of our clinicians, please call the Penn Neurology Call Center at 215-662-3606 and request a first-time appointment with Dr. Murray Grossman or Dr. David Irwin.
Frontotemporal degeneration (FTD) refers to a family of disorders characterized by the progressive loss of neurons (brain cells) in the frontal and temporal regions of the brain.
Patients with FTD can present with different clinical symptoms, ranging from behavioral impairments to language or motor dysfunction. Although the precise cause may not be known, Frontotemporal degeneration is thought to result from abnormal accumulation of misfolded proteins, which disrupt, and eventually lead to degeneration of brain cells.
As FTD progresses, it can slowly deprive a person of their cognitive abilities, personality and eventually their independence. An estimated 10,000 people are diagnosed with FTD each year. Symptoms of Frontotemporal degeneration often first appear between the ages of 50 to 65 years of age.