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Frontotemporal dementia
Bang J, Spina S, Miller BL.. Lancet (London, England), 2015-10-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Frontotemporal dementia is an umbrella clinical term that encompasses a group of neurodegenerative diseases characterised by progressive deficits in behaviour, executive function, or language. Frontotemporal dementia is a common type of dementia, particularly in patients younger than 65 years. The disease can mimic many psychiatric disorders because of the prominent behavioural features. Various underlying neuropathological entities lead to the frontotemporal dementia clinical phenotype, all of which are characterised by the selective degeneration of the frontal and temporal cortices. Genetics is an important risk factor for frontotemporal dementia. Advances in clinical, imaging, and molecular characterisation have increased the accuracy of frontotemporal dementia diagnosis, thus allowing for the accurate differentiation of these syndromes from psychiatric disorders. As the understanding of the molecular basis for frontotemporal dementia improves, rational therapies are beginning to emerge.
Key findings
- The disease can mimic many psychiatric disorders because of the prominent behavioural features.
- Various underlying neuropathological entities lead to the frontotemporal dementia clinical phenotype, all of which are characterised by the selective degeneration of the frontal and temporal cortices.
- Genetics is an important risk factor for frontotemporal dementia.
- Advances in clinical, imaging, and molecular characterisation have increased the accuracy of frontotemporal dementia diagnosis, thus allowing for the accurate differentiation of these syndromes from psychiatric disorders.
- As the understanding of the molecular basis for frontotemporal dementia improves, rational therapies are beginning to emerge.
Why it matters
This review discusses frontotemporal dementia, a different type of dementia, including its diagnosis and emerging therapies. It does not address Alzheimer's disease treatment, cure, or prevention.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Getting a diagnosis →
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 59/100
Published in a top-tier journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 10 / 10 | Tier 1 — top-tier general journal (Lancet (London, England)) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | The Lancet: journal h-index 1,205 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2015 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 7 / 7 | Cited 1,130 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 5 / 5 | 86.9 citations a year over 13 year(s) since 2015 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 38.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 4 / 6 | Cited by 58 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 4 / 4 | Cited 391 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Bruce L. Miller: h-index 198 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of California, San Francisco: institution h-index 1,915 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 26595641) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 59 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(15)00461-4
- PubMed: 26595641
- Original source →
- Free full text: PubMed Central →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Bang, J., Spina, S., & Miller, B. L. (2015). Frontotemporal dementia. Lancet (London, England). https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(15)00461-4
Vancouver
Bang J, Spina S, Miller BL. Frontotemporal dementia. Lancet (London, England). 2015. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(15)00461-4. PMID: 26595641.
BibTeX
@article{bang2015-26595641,
author = {Bang, J. and Spina, S. and Miller, B. L.},
title = {{Frontotemporal dementia}},
journal = {Lancet (London, England)},
year = {2015},
doi = {10.1016/s0140-6736(15)00461-4},
pmid = {26595641},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(15)00461-4}
}
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