According to a recent study, shifts in humor may indicate dementia early on. According to research from University College London, if humor darkens over time, it may be an early indication of frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Changes in behavior are the hallmark of this type of dementia, and these changes can manifest years before the dementia is officially diagnosed.
Unlike other types of dementia, FTD typically affects people in their 50s, and memory loss is not a defining feature. The most prevalent type of dementia, Alzheimer's disease, affects approximately 5.3 million Americans. A change in humor has also been noted as an early indicator of the illness.
For the study researchers asked the friends and family of 48 patients with various forms of FTD or Alzheimer’s disease, along with 21 healthy volunteers, to answer questionnaires about their loved one’s sense of humor.
Questions involved rating the loved one’s enjoyment of different comedy styles, for example, slapstick and satirical.
Additional questions aimed to uncover whether the family or friend noticed any differences or changes in their loved one’s sense of humor in the 15 years prior to their diagnosis. Additionally, they were asked if their loved one’s humor was ever inappropriate.
Results showed that individuals with FTD were more likely to behave inappropriately, such as laughing at a barking dog or laughing at a tragedy. Furthermore, those with FTD or Alzheimer’s disease were more likely to prefer slapstick humor compared to healthy individuals. Lastly, changes in humor were seen, on average, nine years before the symptoms of dementia were present.
Dr. Camilla Clark, study lead, said, “These findings have implications for diagnosis – not only should personality and behavior changes ring alarm bells, but clinicians themselves need to be more aware of these symptoms as an early sign of dementia. As well as providing clues to underlying brain changes, subtle differences in what we find funny could help differentiate between the different diseases that cause dementia. Humor could be a particularly sensitive way of detecting dementia because it puts demands on so many different aspects of brain function, such as puzzle solving, emotion and social awareness.”
After completing more studies similar to this one, researchers will be better able to pinpoint the early stages of dementia and begin treatment much sooner.
The findings were published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Source:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles