Frontotemporal lobar degeneration

Abstract Neuroimaging is contributing to the phenotypic characterization of patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). The detection of distinct patterns of atrophy on structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and functional abnormalities using nuclear medicine techniques has improved our ability at establishing a correct diagnosis of FTD, and distinguishing FTD from patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Preliminary studies in genetically and pathologically proven cases of FTD have suggested that MRI-defined atrophy patterns could assist in predicting the in vivo pathological subtype of frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Novel MRI approaches, including diffusion tensor and functional MRI, have improved our understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease, and this should lead to the identification of additional useful markers of disease progression.