People living with early-onset dementia are often mistaken for having depression – and now Australian researchers have discovered the cause.
Research released by the University of Sydney has found profound anhedonia – the profound loss of ability to experience pleasure, for example, a delicious meal or beautiful sunset – is a key feature in frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
Anhedonia is common in people with depression, bipolar disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder and can be very restrictive.
Younger people more likely to have frontotemporal dementia
The world-first study – led by the University of Sydney with the ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and the Black Dog Institute – recruited 172 participants, including 87 people living with FTD – which generally affects people aged 40-65 – and 34 living with Alzheimer’s disease.
Using brain scans, the researchers found that this loss of pleasure was linked to grey matter deterioration in the frontal and striatal regions of the brain – the so-called pleasure system.
The people with FHD showed a dramatic decline from pre-disease onset, compared to patients with Alzheimer’s disease, who were not found to show clinically significant anhedonia.
Findings could target new treatments
The findings – published in the leading neuroscience journal, Brain, this week – suggest that anhedonia could be considered an early indicator of FTD – separate from apathy or depression.
Critically, the discovery could also be used to improve treatments for people living with FTD in the long-run.
“Future studies will be essential to address the impact of anhedonia on everyday activities, and to inform the development of targeted interventions to improve quality of life in patients and their families,” the paper’s senior author, Professor Muireann Irish from the University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre and School of Psychology, said.
We often take our ability to enjoy the simple pleasures of life for granted – so it’s great to hear that this research could be used to make life better for those affected by these neurodegenerative disorders.
