Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is early-onset dementia, characterized by insidious onset and gradual progression, an early decline in social and interpersonal conduct and regulation of personal conduct, early emotional blunting, and loss of insight. Behavioral disorder, speech, and language remain supportive features in FTD. 

A report describes a case of a patient with FTD with behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) responding to escitalopram treatment. A 60-year-old Japanese man, under treatment for early-onset Alzheimer-type dementia with Galantamine (24 mg/day) for five years, developed behavioral, executive, and semantic deficits. He contained stereotypical, compulsive behavior, eating habit changes, disinhibition, excitement, irritability, and anxiety. Clinical features and MRI and SPECT tests changed his diagnosis to FTD. The treating physicians tapered off his Galantamine and initiated escitalopram 5 mg/day, increasing it to 10 mg/day. His symptoms of FTD, including behavioral and psychological symptoms, decreased after the treatment. 

Thus, escitalopram is effective for behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia that accompany Frontotemporal dementia. 

Research Square. 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-111206/v1