How Frontotemporal Dementia Affects 'Moral Emotions'

A study in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease uncovered a marker and new testing instrument for frontotemporal dementia (FTD), which may help differentiate this disorder from Alzheimer's disease, reports Medical News Today . Persons with FTD may experience atypical mood changes, like acting more impulsively, losing social inhibitions, or apathy. The researchers explain that "moral emotions" characterize "affective experiences promoting cooperation and group cohesion," like admiration, shame, or pity. The team organized a test for moral emotions, with 22 participants with FTD, 15 people with Alzheimer's, and 45 with neither condition asked to choose one of four possible answers in 42 hypothetical situations. Each question dealt with the feeling that the situation might provoke. Although FTD was found to blunt emotions overall, it also impairs moral emotions significantly more than non-moral ones. In comparison, those with Alzheimer's exhibited no such impairment and did just as well in the test as persons without FTD or Alzheimer's.