A brain wasting disease called frontotemporal dementia has gained attention after television and film personalities said they suffered from it.电视和电影人物说，一种称为额颞痴呆症的脑部浪费疾病引起了人们的关注。

In a statement, caregivers said doctors told talk show host Wendy Williams that she had the unusual form of dementia. It said Williams had undergone many medical tests to identify the condition. Actor Bruce Willis is also reportedly affected by the condition.看护人在一份声明中说，医生告诉脱口秀主持人温迪·威廉姆斯（Wendy Williams），她的痴呆症形式不寻常。 它说，威廉姆斯已经进行了许多医疗测试以识别这种情况。 据报道，演员布鲁斯·威利斯（Bruce Willis）也受到这种情况的影响。

Frontotemporal dementia, or FTD, is a rare disease that affects parts of the brain controlling behavior and language. These parts of the brain shrink as the disease gets worse.额颞痴呆或FTD是一种影响大脑控制行为和语言的一部分的罕见疾病。 随着疾病恶化，大脑的这些部分收缩。

FTD usually can affect people in their 40s through their early 60s. It can change a person’s personality, causing a loss of control or wild behavior. It is sometimes mistaken for mental health disorders like depression or bipolar disorder. It can take years for doctors to diagnose the condition.FTD通常会影响40多岁的人到60年代初。 它可以改变一个人的个性，导致失去控制或狂野的行为。 有时会误以为是抑郁症或躁郁症等精神健康障碍。 医生可能需要数年的时间才能诊断病情。

Brenda Rapp is a scientist at Johns Hopkins University. Rapp described signs of the disease this way: “Maybe you’re doing things that are bothering people and you don’t really understand why they’re bothering people.”布伦达·拉普（Brenda Rapp）是约翰·霍普金斯大学（Johns Hopkins University）的科学家。 拉普以这种方式描述了这种疾病的迹象：“也许您正在做困扰人们的事情，而您并不真正了解他们为什么要困扰人们。”

The disease is linked to primary progressive aphasia, which is a condition affecting a person’s ability to communicate. A person with this sort of FTD may have trouble finding words or understanding speech.该疾病与主要的进行性失语症有关，这是影响一个人沟通能力的疾病。 具有这种FTD的人可能难以找到单词或理解语音。

Damage to neurons, the brain’s information carriers, is believed to be part of the problem but the root reasons for a case are often unclear. People with a family history of the condition are more likely to develop it. But most people with FTD have no family history of dementia.据信神经元的损害是大脑的信息载体，是问题的一部分，但案例的根本原因通常不清楚。 具有这种状况的家族史的人更有可能发展。 但是大多数有FTD的人都没有痴呆症的家族史。

There is no cure for FTD, but there are different ways to try to deal with it. People might get speech therapy if they have the kind that affects language. They might get physical therapy to improve movement.FTD无法治愈，但是有不同的方法可以尝试处理它。 如果人们拥有影响语言的那种言语疗法。 他们可能会得到物理疗法以改善运动。

Some patients receive antidepressants or drugs for Parkinson’s, a nervous system disease, which has some of the same symptoms as FTD.一些患者接受抗抑郁药或药物的帕金森氏症，这是一种神经系统疾病，其症状与FTD相同。

FTD can be a long illness, lasting two to 10 years. People with FTD will need caregiving or nursing support as their symptoms get worse.FTD可能是长期疾病，持续了两到十年。 FTD患者将需要照顾或护理支持，因为症状恶化。

“The disease will spread throughout the brain,” Rapp said. “The rate at which it does that is extremely unpredictable. So, it’s very hard to know...how quickly someone will deteriorate.”拉普说：“这种疾病将遍及整个大脑。” “这样做的速度是极其不可预测的。因此，很难知道……有人会多快恶化。”

The financial costs for a family can be high. The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that it costs $10,000 a year, on average, in the United States for health and long-term care for a person with dementia.家庭的财务成本可能很高。 阿尔茨海默氏症协会估计，在美国，平均每年的摄入症患者的健康和长期护理费用为每年10,000美元。