Advancing Research and Treatment for Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (ARTFL)

Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (FTLD) is the neuropathological term for a collection of rare neurodegenerative diseases that correspond to four main overlapping clinical syndromes: frontotemporal dementia (FTD), primary progressive aphasia (PPA), corticobasal degeneration syndrome (CBS) and progressive supranuclear palsy syndrome (PSPS). The goal of this study is to build a FTLD clinical research consortium (FTLD CRC) to support the development of FTLD therapies for new clinical trials. The FTLD CRC will be headquartered at UCSF and will partner with six patient advocacy groups to manage the consortium. Patients will be evaluated at 13 clinical sites throughout North America and a genetics core will genotype all individuals for FTLD associated genes. The study will be divided into 2 projects. The first project will be Preparing for Sporadic FTLD Clinical Trials and the second project will be a Longitudinal Assessment of Familial FTLD. Self-registration for an online registry will be available for patients and families with any FTLD syndrome. Eligible participants for research Projects 1 and 2 FTLD will be invited to a CRC site for clinical evaluations. All enrolled participants in both research projects will have a site visit consisting of a neurological exam, medical and family history, cognitive testing, and a blood draw. Participants in Project 1 who have a diagnosis of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Syndrome will have two additional assessments. A lumbar puncture (LP) will be performed for CSF collection, and an MRI scan of the brain will be done. Participants in Project 2: Longitudinal Assessment of familial FTLD will return for a follow-up visit in 12 months; procedures at the follow-up visit will be identical to those at baseline. Additionally, asymptomatic participants will undergo MRI scans at both visits.