what s responsible for the aphasia, the language. so, it sounds like both sides, you know, are affected when someone has aphasia and ftd. ainsley: dr. miller, is there anything we can do to prevent something like this? or try to. steve: stave off? ainsley: exactly. yes. there is quite good data even in people who have a genetic form of this which accounts for 15%, if people stay active mentally, exercise, even the genetic forms can be slowed down and staved off. so i think healthy lifestyle is really a theme here. steve: it s interesting that you said remain active mentally. my grandma to the day she died did cross word puzzles for that reason. and now a lot of people do things like wordle and stuff like that. ainsley: read books. steve: is he dusudoku.
the mayo clinic says ftd is an umbrella term for brain disorders in the areas associated with personality, behavior and language. currently there is no cure and no treatments that slow the progression. he said that he would take a break from acting and the family hopes media attention from this announcement will lead to more awareness and research into ftd. five former memphis police officers are set to be arraigned in the coming hours for their involvement in the death of tyre nichols last month. they are each facing seven charges. nichols a 29-year-old black man was repeatedly punched and kicked during a traffic stop on january 7. he died three days later. a shreveport officer is facing homicide charges in the death of an unarmed bagley two
condition has progressed and we now have a more specific diagnosis, frontotemporal dementia, known as ftd. known for his die hard action movies and thrillers like sixth sense, last year willis family revealed he was diagnosed with aphasia that affected his ability to remember his lines and the 67-year-old was stepping away from acting to focus on his health. but they call what he s facing now a cruel disease. doctors say frontotemporal dementia is the most common form of dementia for people under 60. someone might have trouble either generating language or understanding spoken or written language. what we see are problems with executive functioning, and those are things like reasoning, judgment. reporter: medical experts say there is no known cure. his family is sharing this news saying they know he would.
auditory processing. all those can lead you to a higher risk depression after a stroke. it s remarkable to see. i was in washington for 8 1/2 years. so many politicians down play or don t tell the full truth about h their health. this really stands out to me. i also want to ask you about, we love so much, his family came out and we were talking about this for a year now. his family said he has been diagnosed with ftd. what do we know about that? is that different than the dementia we know about? so when people think about dementia, people think about alzheimer s. this is a much rarer type of dementia but the most common in people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s. it strikes much earlier than the dementia that most people think b it has to do with degeneration in the frontal part of the brain and by the ears. the other thing that is important to realize about
health update on the beloved actor. saying quote since we announced bruce s diagnosis of aphasia in spring of 2022. bruce s condition has progressed and now we have a more specific diagnosis. frontotemporal dementia; dementia. also known as ftd. ainsley: willis family hopes by sharing this diagnosis they will share behavioral neurologist miller joins us now. dr. miller, good morning. thank you. appreciate the opportunity to talk with you this morning. steve: you bet. ainsley: thank you. definitely want to raise awareness of this. 67 years old. ftd cases occur between 45 and 64. that seems very young. tell us more about this. yes. this is the most common cause for dementia in people under the age of 65. so, it s not surprising that someone would get this illness at a very young age. and i can just only offer a real