INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Dementia, a term encompassing a decline in cognitive function, is a complex and often misunderstood condition.

More than 55 million people are living with some form of dementia right now. Two specific types, frontal lobe dementia and alcohol-induced dementia, share some similarities but have distinct characteristics. Understanding the differences is crucial, as it can significantly impact accurate diagnosis and appropriate care.

Actor Bruce Willis is living with it, and so is talk show host Wendy Williams — but the types of dementia they are diagnosed with are different. Frontotemporal dementia strikes early.

“It usually presents with changes in people’s personality and changes in language that affects people’s ability to both perform their jobs and eventually take care of themselves,” explained Dr. Russell Sawyer, MD, a behavioral neurologist at the University of Cincinnati.

He says genetics may play a role for up to 40% of patients, and science could soon be able to stop its progression.

“Either gene therapy in which we change out the gene for a new functional gene or replacing the proteins that we’re missing,” Sawyer said.

Meanwhile, alcohol-induced dementia is the direct effect of drinking too much for too long. It’s associated with memory loss, difficulty with problem solving, and impaired judgement.

“Two drinks per week over a one-year period of time was associated with both smaller brains, and more thinking and memory problems,” Sawyer said.

Early detection and research are keys to managing and possibly stopping the progression of these diseases.

As for Alzheimer’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia or FTD can be tricky for doctors to tell apart. Alzheimer’s is caused by specific brain changes called amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. However, FTD is actually a group of different diseases with various causes. This makes it harder to develop accurate tests for FTD compared to Alzheimer’s, where recent advancements have greatly improved diagnosis.

This story was created from a script aired on WISH-TV. Health Spotlight is presented by Community Health Network.