Latest news with #frontotemporalDementia
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bruce Willis' wife shares ‘profoundly sad' update on retired actor's health
Emma Heming Willis, wife of Bruce Willis, used Father's Day to share a glimpse at the retired actor's experience with frontotemporal dementia. 'Happy Father's Day to all the dads living with disability or disease, showing up in the ways they can and to the children who show up for them,' she wrote in an Instagram post, which depicted Willis with his face obscured by a hat. Willis' family first shared news of his diagnosis in 2022, stating that the actor was experiencing aphasia, a condition caused by brain damage that impacts a person's ability to communicate and understand written and spoken language. The announcement coincided with his retirement, ending a four-decade career that spanned 100-plus film appearances and earned Willis one Golden Globe and two Primetime Emmys, among other honors. In 2023, Willis' first wife Demi Moore explained on social media that his 'condition has progressed' to frontotemporal dementia, also referred to as FTD. Heming Willis reflected on her husband's updated diagnosis in the Father's Day post, stating that 'these symbolic days stir up a lot.' 'I'm profoundly sad today,' she wrote. 'I wish, with every cell in my body, that things could be different for him and lighter for our family.' But Heming Willis also used the post to share some uplifting messages, and spoke about her husband's presence in the lives of their children; she and the actor share two daughters, in addition to his three daughters with Moore. 'What Bruce teaches our girls goes far beyond words,' she said. 'Resilience, unconditional love, and the quiet strength in simply being present.' Heming Willis ended the post on an uplifting note, encouraging readers to celebrate the fathers in their own lives. 'As they say in our FTD community, 'It is what it is.' And while that might sound dismissive, to me, it's not,' she concluded. 'It grounds me. It helps me return to the acceptance of what is and not fight this every step of the way like I used to. Today, let's celebrate the badass dads, those who are here, and those we carry with us.' Medway street closed amid large police, SWAT presence near cemetery Boston hotel in the running for best pet-friendly hotel in the US, here's how to vote Rafael Devers ghosted Alex Cora last offseason (report) GOP pundit says he knows why Trump must attack Iran, but 'MAGA idiots' will never understand Rafael Devers beef with Kristian Campbell and Red Sox AI story are 'falsehoods' (report) Read the original article on MassLive.
Medscape
4 days ago
- Health
- Medscape
Epilepsy May Signal Future Dementia Risk
Epilepsy prevalence was significantly higher among people with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) than among those with Alzheimer's disease (AD), a new study showed, with epilepsy occurring in some cases up to 10 years before an FTD diagnosis. METHODOLOGY: In a case-control study in Finland, epilepsy prevalence and antiseizure medicine ( ASM) purchases were compared between 245 patients with FTD (mean age at diagnosis, 65 years; 49% women), more than 1300 patients with AD (mean age, 72 years; 59% women), and more than 2400 individuals matched for age, sex, and location to act as the healthy control group (mean age, 65 years; 49% women). Data were collected from 2010 to 2021, and epilepsy cases were identified using codes from the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision (ICD-10). Purchases of ASMs were tracked throughout the study period, and epilepsy prevalence was evaluated at four timepoints: 10 years before the diagnosis of FTD, 5 years before diagnosis, at diagnosis, and 5 years after diagnosis. TAKEAWAY: Both epilepsy prevalence and ASM purchases were significantly greater in patients with FTD than in those in the healthy control group at all timepoints ( P < .001 for both measures). < .001 for both measures). Epilepsy prevalence was significantly higher in patients with FTD than in patients with AD 10 years before ( P = .03), 5 years before ( P = .002), and 5 years after ( P = .05) the diagnosis of FTD. = .03), 5 years before ( = .002), and 5 years after ( = .05) the diagnosis of FTD. The prevalence of ASM use was also significantly higher among patients with FTD than among patients with AD ( P = .004 at 5 years before FTD diagnosis and P < .001 at other timepoints). = .004 at 5 years before FTD diagnosis and < .001 at other timepoints). After adjusting for age at the time of FTD diagnosis, the risk for mortality was not significantly different between patients with both FTD and epilepsy and those without epilepsy. IN PRACTICE: 'It is noteworthy that epilepsy occurred in some patients with FTD already 10 years before their dementia diagnosis, and it was more common in all the examined stages of the disease than previous international studies have reported,' lead investigator Annemari Kilpeläinen, MD, Institute of Clinical Medicine-Neurology, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland, said in a press release. The researchers added that 'enhancing knowledge of the comorbidity between epilepsy and FTD could lead to more precise and comprehensive diagnostics and treatment of these conditions as well as new pathophysiologic findings.' SOURCE: The study was published online on June 2 in JAMA Neurology . LIMITATIONS: This study was limited by reliance on ICD-10 codes for classification of epilepsy types and included only two major provinces in Finland. Additionally, epilepsy diagnoses recorded before 1998 may have been missed. DISCLOSURES: This study was part of the Real-World Data Project on Neurodegenerative Diseases, funded by Roche OY. Additional funding was provided by the Kuopio University Hospital, the Finnish Brain Foundation, the Uulo Arhio Foundation, the Finnish Medical Foundation, the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Wihuri Foundation, and the Sigrid Juselius Foundation. Several investigators reported having ties with various organizations and pharmaceutical companies. Full details are provided in the original article.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rumer Willis Pens 'Hard' Tribute to Bruce Willis on Father's Day
Rumer Willis Pens 'Hard' Tribute to Bruce Willis on Father's Day originally appeared on Parade. In honor of Father's Day, penned a heartfelt and emotional message reflecting on the holiday in light of dad ' battle with frontotemporal dementia. The eldest of his children shared several photos, including a recent one of the two of them, one of him with her daughter—and his first grandchild—, and several from her childhood. "Today is hard," she admitted in the caption. "I feel a deep ache in my chest to talk to you and tell you everything I'm doing and what's going on in my life. To hug you and ask you about life and your stories and struggles and successes. I wish I asked you more questions while you could still tell me about it all." She continued, "But I know you wouldn't want me to be sad today so I'll try to just be grateful reminding myself how lucky I am that you're my dad and that you're still with me and I can still hold you and hug you and kiss your cheek and rub your head I can tell you stories. I can watch the way your eyes light up when you see Louetta I will be grateful for every moment I have with you." "I love you so much dad," she concluded. "happy Father's Day. Sending love to all those who are in the boat with me or have lost their fathers, to the single moms who are the dads too, to my future baby daddy…❤️." Fans sent love to Rumer and her dad in the comments, praising the sentimental note she shared with them. "This is lovely Rumer. Your dad is a grand human. Much love❤️," one wrote. "Beautiful sentiments Rumer…your dad is truly amazing! ❤️❤️❤️," said another. "Such a beautiful tribute to your beloved Dad ❤️❤️," a third wrote, with yet another agreeing, "🥰 Beautifully written. ❤️."Rumer Willis Pens 'Hard' Tribute to Bruce Willis on Father's Day first appeared on Parade on Jun 16, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Bruce Willis's wife shares heartbreaking tribute to dementia-stricken actor
Emma Heming Willis, the wife of Bruce Willis, expressed profound sadness in a post on Father's Day as the actor lives with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Willis was diagnosed in 2023 with FTD, a degenerative brain condition affecting communication and behaviour, which his family described as a 'cruel disease' with no cure. Heming shared a photo of their daughter Evelyn, 11, hugging Willis, and dedicated the post to fathers living with disabilities. She wrote: 'Love deepens. It adapts. It stays, even when everything else changes.' Willis and Heming have two daughters, Evelyn and Mabel Ray, and Willis also has three older daughters, Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah, from his previous marriage to Demi Moore.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
The Silent Symptom Most People Don't Realize Could Be a Dementia Sign, According to Neurologists
The Silent Symptom Most People Don't Realize Could Be a Dementia Sign, According to Neurologists originally appeared on Parade. Neurologists frequently hear patients say they chalked up early dementia signs to something else entirely."Many early cognitive changes—such as slower processing speed [and] reduced comprehension—are often dismissed as natural aging rather than indicators of dementia," reports Dr. Adel Aziz, MD, a neurologist with JFK University Medical Center.🩺SIGN UP for tips to stay healthy & fit with the top moves, clean eats, health trends & more delivered right to your inbox twice a week💊However, symptoms like memory loss (that are more frequently linked to dementia) aren't the only ones to know about."Understanding lesser-known signs of neurodegenerative disorders can help with earlier recognition and diagnosis by a medical provider," says , a behavioral neurologist at there's no cure for dementia, sometimes, cognitive decline can be slowed, especially when caught early. Here, neurologists reveal the silent dementia sign that's often Neurologists warn that apathy is a silent sign of dementia. "Apathy, or the loss of goal-directed thought and behavior, is one of the earliest signs in some types of dementia, especially frontotemporal dementia, but it's often overlooked because it doesn't manifest as active distress," Dr. Aziz says. Unlike forgetting how to get home, Dr. Aziz explains that people often mask apathy as preference for solo time, tiredness, shyness or natural aging. "A person who once planned outings or made social calls may simply stop engaging," he sadly, loved ones may feel silently hurt by the changes. "It can appear that the person does not care or is depressed when this is not the case," points out , an assistant professor of neurology at New York Medical Neurologists report that there are several potential reasons why a person with dementia can become apathetic. Dr. Amodeo shares that the chemical changes and cell losses in parts of the brain associated with motivation can impact a person's desire to participate in activities they once loved., a board-certified neurologist at Remo Health, says situational factors may also contribute to apathy. "Individuals may feel that everything is so much harder, making it seem 'not worth the effort,'" he explains. "Additionally, they might feel 'useless' or like 'a burden.'" According to Dr. Amodeo, apathy is associated with several types of dementia, including: Alzheimer's Disease Lewy body dementia (LBD) Vascular dementia Frontotemporal dementia Apathy's place as a symptom of that fourth one, frontotemporal dementia, has gotten more attention lately. Frontotemporal dementia is often diagnosed early (between the ages of 45 and 65). A 2020 study indicated that apathy could predict frontotemporal dementia years before symptoms start."It may be more commonly associated with frontotemporal dementia because those with this disease typically show changes in personality or mood as an early feature [because of] the function of the frontal lobe of the brain—the part of the brain disproportionately impacted in frontotemporal dementia," Dr. Amodeo also note that apathy predicted a faster decline. "Apathy may be associated with a faster decline in function, because it reduces the person's ability to adapt and cope with their decreased function," Dr. Lesley explains. "Also, it takes away some of the situations that tend to support cognitive health—social activities, exercise, cognitive activities like reading, and getting adequate nutrition and good sleep."Related: Dr. Lesley explains that apathy is not a condition but rather a description of a feeling, or lack thereof. He reveals that common signs of apathy include: Loss of interest or joy in things that used to be fun Less motivation to do things (even those that are important for survival, like paying bills or eating) Less Goal-directed activity can all be associated with apathy Loss of motivation to participate in self-care, including personal and home hygiene (not brushing teeth or cleaning the home) However, neurologists say it's important to understand that apathy has numerous triggers. If you or a loved one is experiencing apathy, it may not be dementia. Related: "Just because a person seems apathetic, they may not necessarily have dementia or be at risk for dementia," Dr. Amodeo says. "It can be observed in other [conditions], such as depression. A diagnosis of dementia would not be based on having this one feature alone."According to Dr. Amodeo, additional symptoms that signify that the apathy might be connected to dementia include: Gradual and progressive changes in cognitive function, including memory, language, attention and focus Hallucinations or delusions Sleep changes, such as insomnia or dream enactment Changes in confusion or alertness (Dr. Amodeo explains a person might be confused later in the day, which is called "sundowning") Mood or personality changes Related: Experts say speaking to a primary care physician is a great start. If they're concerned about cognitive decline, they'll order testing to learn Carlisle notes that there is no cure for dementia, but there is hope. "There are medications aimed at treating the symptoms," she explains. "There are a number of lifestyle modifications that can slow cognitive decline." She shares that these shifts include: Regular moderate-level exercise Following a Mediterranean-style diet Participating in socially and cognitively engaging activities Reducing stress Getting high-quality sleep Treating vision and hearing issues A dementia diagnosis can be hard on someone (and worsen apathy). Additionally, apathy may be a sign of a mental health condition exclusively. Either way, Dr. Amodeo shares that you deserve support for your mental well-being. "I would recommend reaching out to their provider, such as their primary care provider, who may refer them to a psychiatrist or psychologist," she says, adding that Psychology Today is a good resource for finding therapists. Up Next:Dr. Adel Aziz, MD, a neurologist with JFK University Medical Center Dr. Tara Carlisle, MD, a behavioral neurologist at UCHealth Dr. Katherine D. Amodeo, MD, an assistant professor of neurology at New York Medical College Dr. Daniel Lesley, MD, a board-certified neurologist at Remo Health Apathy in presymptomatic genetic frontotemporal dementia predicts cognitive decline and is driven by structural brain changes. Alzheimer's & Dementia. The Silent Symptom Most People Don't Realize Could Be a Dementia Sign, According to Neurologists first appeared on Parade on Jun 15, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
