Multi-organ research of imaging biomarkers that differentiate frontotemporal dementia from other neurodegenerative diseases.

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), characterized by personality changes and executive dysfunctions, could be associated with disease-specific anatomical alterations. FTD remains difficult to diagnose and may be confused with psychiatric disorders or other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease. Here, we propose to study the P301S mouse model of FTD to detect structural and morphological alterations at brain level at different time points, to identify specific hallmarks that can differentiate FTD from other neurodegenerative dementias. In addition, since there is evidence that gut pathological conditions are present in several diseases affecting the central nervous system, we intend to investigate the gut of the same animals, to find out whether this anatomical region is similarly involved in FTD. The finding of a link between gut dysfunction and neurodegenerative disorders could have an important impact on developing novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.