Throughout the week, Alzforum is publishing a summation of this year’s International Conference on Frontotemporal Dementias in a seven-part series of articles emphasizing the importance of collaboration between FTD researchers around the world. 

The International Society for Frontotemporal Dementias virtually convened the 12th International Conference on FTD on March 3-5.  

Alzforum’s first installment of its conference coverage series highlighted both the Genetic FTD Initiative (GENFI), located in Europe and Eastern Canada, and ALLFTD in North America as leading longitudinal cohort studies paving the way in charting the clinical progression of FTD. 

Johnathan Rohrer of the University of College London, who initiated GENFI, is one of the first researchers to realize that multicenter, international collaborations were the best way to properly investigate FTD, the article said. Rohrer was one of AFTD’s FTD Biomarkers Initiative grant recipients in 2016.  

Notable FTD studies highlighted in the article included GENFI’s comprehensive study that tracked the progression of behavioral and neuropsychiatric symptoms of more than 230 people with different genetic forms of the disease. Barbara Borroni of the University of Brescia in Italy led the study; Dr. Borroni received the inaugural Treat FTD Fund award in 2018.  

The International Conference on Frontotemporal Dementias is the premier venue for the synthesis, exchange, and dissemination of research on FTD, where experts from diverse backgrounds and disciplines share recent discoveries, insights, and opinions.  

Read the full article here.  

Additional installments in the series can be found here:

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven