WASHINGTON, D.C.: Research has identified new mechanisms behind the development of a form of frontotemporal dementia.
Frontotemporal dementia is one of the most common forms of early onset dementia and it typically starts in individuals in their fifties. It affects the ability to use and understand language in addition to a change in personality and a loss of inhibition in some social behaviors. This is caused by the loss of neurons in areas of the brain called the frontal and temporal lobes.
The researchers studied the connections between neurons. They focused on a protein called CHMP2B that is altered in frontotemporal dementia. This research used experiments with fruit flies to uncover mechanisms that control the way that CHMP2B functions. Changes to these mechanisms can cause the neuronal connections to overgrow, which has been shown to lead to neurodegeneration in the flies…