Heart and brain: A new association – Report of a family with “probable frontotemporal dementia and heart block”

was 5/10, category fluency was 4, and phonemic fluency was nil. Attention testing showed significant distractibility, but she could be interviewed. Recent memory was severely affected, and remote was moderately affected. In visuospatial testing, the patient could not draw even simple diagrams, but no definite agnosias were identified. Probable frontotemporal dementia was considered applying the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition Criteria. Cardiac evaluation showed a pacemaker rhythm. Echo showed a pacemaker seen through the right atrium and right ventricle. Echo cardiography revealed left ventricular diastolic dysfunction with Ejection fraction of 58%. PET scan showed frontotemporal hypometabolism, and magnetic resonance imaging showed frontotemporal atrophy [Figure 1]. However, we could not do voxel‐based morphometry to demonstrate any specific insular region volume loss. Her father, aunt, sister, brother, and herself were on pacemaker at ages from 49 to 53 years for heart block [Figure 2]. They all in addition had memory and behavior problems as informed by her husband, but the affected members were not available for detailed evaluation. One sister had sepsis and died at 55 years. This suggests a strong association of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and heart block in a dominantly inherited pattern in this family. This family might point to a new genotype of FTD.