Grant: Project Grant - PA: Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a devastating disease, characterized by profound changes in behavior, personality, language and movement. It is the second most common cause of dementia under the age of 70 years, affecting approximately 50,000 North Americans. Almost half of FTD patients have a positive family history, often with a very strong inheritance pattern. Recent advances in our understanding of the genetic abnormalities and pathology that underlie FTD provide a basis for the development of the first disease-modifying therapies. Unfortunately, clinical testing and implementation of FTD treatments are severely hampered by a lack of useful biomarkers and understanding of the natural history of the disease. Over the past decade, we have established the largest, well-characterized cohort of familial FTD subjects in Canada and one of the most extensive collections of FTD genetic and neuropathological material, worldwide. This unique cohort of participants with genetic mutations are at risk of developing the disease, and provide us the opportunity to examine changes in brain scans and body fluid chemistry at the earliest stages of disease when treatment is likely to have the greatest impact. This valuable resource, together with our team of experts in clinical, imaging, and biochemical research, will allow us to develop new diagnostic tests and provide rational therapeutic approaches for this currently untreatable disease.