Dr. Nicole Bjorklund, AFTD Director of Research and Grants, and Dr. Kate Still, Research Outreach Manager, attended the Society for Neuroscience meeting in October to take in the latest research relevant to FTD. The conference convened more than 30,000 neuroscientists worldwide.

Dr. Bjorklund and Dr. Still made new connections by hosting the 8th annual FTD Social, a satellite event for FTD researchers. The goal was to raise awareness about AFTD resources which can assist researchers in their studies. 103 researchers attended, including academics, clinicians, drug developers, nonprofit partners, funding institutions, and FTD community volunteers. The AFTD team distributed information on AFTD’s research funding programs and registry resources which utilize meaningful data from the FTD community. Connections were made with over 70 new researchers, and existing connections with FTD researchers were deepened.

The AFTD team also attended FTD research presentations and held individual meetings. They noted research themes, such as new ways to model FTD in the laboratory, testing of new detection methods for FTD diagnosis and/or progression, and new understanding of FTD biology to be targeted with therapeutics.

If you are an FTD community volunteer or ambassador living near San Diego and would like to connect with us next November at the 2025 Society for Neuroscience meeting, reach out to research@theaftd.org!