Gaps in clinical research in frontotemporal dementia: A call for diversity and disparities–focused research

Abstract

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is one of the leading causes of dementia before age 65 and often manifests as abnormal behavior (in behavioral variant FTD) or language impairment (in primary progressive aphasia). FTD's exact clinical presentation varies by culture, language, education, social norms, and other socioeconomic factors; current research and clinical practice, however, is mainly based on studies conducted in North America and Western Europe. Changes in diagnostic criteria and procedures as well as new or adapted cognitive tests are likely needed to take into consideration global diversity. This perspective paper by two professional interest areas of the Alzheimer's Association International Society to Advance Alzheimer's Research and Treatment examines how increasing global diversity impacts the clinical presentation, screening, assessment, and diagnosis of FTD and its treatment and care. It subsequently provides recommendations to address immediate needs to advance global FTD research and clinical practice.

Biophysical models applied to dementia patients reveal links between geographical origin, gender, disease duration, and loss of neural inhibition

“…The present analysis could only attribute differences between the Latam and HIC samples to their geographical origin. To address this non-specificty, future studies should replicate our findings using better characterized samples, including data on environmental exposure, social determinants of health, socioeconomic status, risk factors and genetic diversity, which are factors implicated in the disparity between Latam and HIC [70][71][72][73][74][75].…”