How To Spot Pick's Disease (Frontotemporal Dementia)

Lack Of Empathy

As Pick’s disease worsens, the patient loses the ability to see things from another person’s point of view, resulting in a lack of empathy. Consequently, even somebody who was once known for their kindness can no longer respond appropriately to another person’s distress. Similarly, they lose the ability to read common social cues. Pick’s disease damages a brain pathway called the ventral salience network that helps individuals read emotional information and decide on the best way to respond to it. Damage to the ventral salience pathway causes individuals to lose the ability to correctly interpret somebody else’s emotions and thus empathize with them. It also impairs a patient’s ability to detect sarcasm or insincerity.

Agitation

Agitation and mood swings are among the symptoms associated with Pick’s disease. There is so far no cure for Pick’s disease, but doctors can provide medications for some of the symptoms like agitation or compulsive behavior. Pick’s disease can be difficult to diagnose, for some of its symptoms are similar to those of other dementias. There are some differences that doctors can and should look for. For example, Pick’s disease doesn’t affect memory until its later stages.

Second, the patients are generally younger; the average age of onset is fifty-four. While there is currently no single diagnostic test, doctors can use imaging tests like magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs) to examine the patient’s brain. They can also test the patient’s speech and writing capabilities, and they can interview the patient’s relatives about their behavior. The doctor can also take a medical history and perform physical and neurological examinations.