Frontotemporal dementia, the incurable neurodegenerative disease that Bruce Willis suffers from
The famous American actor Bruce Willis has been away from the cameras since 2022 due to frontotemporal dementia , a neurodegenerative disorder that progresses and worsens, affecting the Hollywood star's cognitive abilities.
What is frontotemporal dementia and what causes it?Frontotemporal dementia, explains the prestigious Mayo Clinic in the United States, refers to a group of neurodegenerative disorders that, as a common characteristic , affect the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. Because of this, they primarily affect aspects such as language, behavior, and personality, which are largely regulated by these regions.
Although the symptoms can be confused with those of other pathologies such as certain psychiatric disorders or Alzheimer's , frontotemporal dementia produces cognitive and neurological deterioration that is much faster and more evident than those of the former and tends to appear at earlier ages than Alzheimer's.
The causes are unknown, although strong links have been established with certain genetic mutations. Furthermore, frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are known to share genetic factors and molecular pathways.
What are the symptoms?According to the same source, symptoms vary from person to person, but in all cases, they worsen over time (which is why the disease is called degenerative). Typically, a single patient presents one or more clusters of symptoms that appear together.
The most common is behavioral changes, which are extreme changes in the way of behaving and in personality. (inappropriate social behavior, poor judgment, loss of empathy, apathy, repetitive or compulsive behaviors, neglect of personal hygiene, changes in eating habits, etc.). Also common is the appearance of aphasia (problems understanding spoken and written language and speaking) or movement disorders (tremors, stiffness, swallowing problems, loss of coordination, muscle weakness, spasms, etc.).
How is it treated?Currently, there is no treatment or cure for frontotemporal dementia. Therefore, the approach focuses on managing behavioral problems (often through the use of antidepressant or antipsychotic medication) and speech therapy to provide the patient with alternative communication strategies to speech when this area is compromised.
ReferencesMayo Clinic. Frontotemporal dementia. Accessed online at https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/frontotemporal-dementia/symptoms-causes/syc-20354737 on July 15, 2025.
Spanish Society of Neurology. Criteria for the clinical diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia. Accessed online at https://demencias.sen.es/index.php/noticias-destacadas/125-documentos-de-interes/criterios-diagnosticos/210-criterios-para-el-diagnostico-clinico-de-la-demencia-frontotemporal on July 17, 2025.
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