Frontotemporal dementia has garnered significant public attention, especially after Bruce Willis’s family announced in 2023 that he had been diagnosed with this condition.
A new study by Swedish researchers from the Karolinska Institute, Lund University, and Umeå University has uncovered the brain processes underlying one of the early symptoms of the disease—loss of empathy. This discovery brings scientists one step closer to more accurate diagnostics and better treatments for this ailment.
What Did the Researchers Report?
Symptoms of frontotemporal dementia typically begin to manifest in individuals aged 60 to 70. Primarily, this disease affects behavior, personality, and language abilities, as reported by Medical Xpress.
A hallmark symptom of frontotemporal dementia, which distinguishes it from other forms of dementia (such as Alzheimer’s disease), is the early loss of empathy. This is characterized by a diminished warmth towards loved ones and a lack of concern for their well-being. Such changes can be alarming and distressing for family members, who feel that the patient’s personality has altered and that their attempts to help and support are met with indifference.
While the loss of empathy has recently become the subject of numerous scientific studies, the precise brain mechanisms underlying frontotemporal dementia remain unclear.
To understand how empathy declines with the onset of dementia, the team studied 28 patients with frontotemporal dementia and compared their data with that of 28 healthy individuals.
In their research, the scientists utilized functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). While participants were in the scanner, the researchers showed them images of hands being pricked by needles, as well as images of hands being gently touched by cotton swabs. This neurobiological test has proven effective. The first set of images was intended to evoke feelings of distress and suffering in the participants.
Next, the researchers analyzed the brain activity of dementia patients and healthy individuals as they viewed the images.
In healthy volunteers, the anterior insula, anterior cingulate gyrus, and thalamus (areas of the brain responsible for monitoring internal bodily signals, such as pain) were activated when they observed images of a hand experiencing pain.
However, in patients with frontotemporal dementia, the activity in these critical brain regions was significantly reduced. This decrease was strikingly correlated with the low levels of empathy exhibited by the patients in their daily lives (as indicated by questionnaires filled out by their family members).
Empathy and Brain Function
Thus, the study revealed a decrease in activity in brain regions associated with monitoring bodily states that relate to emotional empathy for others. These results highlight the critical correlation between this brain system and our ability to empathize with others.
The team hopes that understanding how the brain processes empathy in frontotemporal dementia will not only improve its diagnosis but also pave the way for new treatment methods in the future that could mitigate the devastating effects of this disease.