NIJMEGEN –
Some forms of dementia may soon be predicted much earlier. Long before the first symptoms of dementia appear, apathy can be a predictor. This is shown by research by Rogier Kievit of Radboudumc and colleagues from the University of Cambridge. Potential treatments could be started much earlier with this knowledge.
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Fronto-temporal dementia and apathy are somewhat similar. Fronto-temporal dementia is a form of dementia that also affects people between the ages of 45 and 65. Symptoms of this dementia are impulsive, socially inappropriate and repetitive and compulsive behavior. Initiative, uninterested behavior and lack of interest are also symptoms. In other words: apathetic behavior.
Shrinking of brain parts
Brain scans seem to show that apathy is associated with shrinking parts of the brain at the front of the brain.
According to Rogier Kievit, professor of Developmental Neuroscience at Radboudumc and the Donders Institute, the number of symptoms increase further when the parts of the brain shrink worse. “The stronger the contraction, the stronger the apathy. By the way, apathy should not be confused with depression or laziness. The interesting thing in our findings is that the apathy often occurs years before the other symptoms of the disease. This offers the potential to treat and slow down the disease and symptoms much earlier. It illustrates how essential it is to be able to follow these processes in large groups of people over time, so that we have a better picture of the symptom course and potential intervention goals. ”
Genetically determined
Fronto-temporal dementia is genetically determined in one in three people. In the study of Kievit, Maura Malpetti and James Rowe (University of Cambridge) 600 people were followed for several years for empathy, memory tests and brain scans were made. 304 people in the study had this gene variant, which greatly increased the risk of the disease, but they were still healthy over the years. 296 people were family members who do not carry this gene variant. Most of the people in the study did not know whether or not they carried this gene.
It is clear from the research that apathy allows early detection of whether fronto-temporal dementia will occur later. Kievit says: “Certainly if it is known that fronto-temporal dementia has occurred in the family before. We do not yet have good, effective medicines against the condition, but the period to intervene has now become considerably longer thanks to our research. ” According to Rowe, ampathy can have various causes, such as when there is too little thyroid hormone in the blood, or depression. According to the researchers, this research is a ‘wake-up call’.
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