Fronto-temporal dementia breakthrough excellent, says charity

New research published in Nature Genetics, which identified two genes located on chromosome 7 and 17 being linked to fronto-temporal dementia (FTD), has been congratulated by a leading charity.

Dr Susanne Sorensen, the head of research at the Alzheimer's Society, explained that a gene causing fronto-temporal dementia in some families was first identified last year.

This new study, which has involved scientists from across the world, has concluded that two more genes with variants have been found to increase the risk of this devastating condition, meaning progress is still on the cards.

Dr Sorensen concluded: "This is very exciting news as finding out what the proteins produced by these genes do could help us understand the processes that cause the condition, leading us closer to finding a treatment or even a cure."

Recently, the estimated number of people with dementia in the UK was upped from 700,000 to 820,000, following a report carried out by the Alzheimer's Research Trust.

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