[Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia-On the way to common gene-specific treatment approaches].

Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) share common neuropathological features and in the case of a gene mutation, also a genetic cause. To date five ALS-FTD genes are described in the literature in addition to other rare variants.
Objective: The current state of research on treatment options for ALS and FTD is presented and an outlook on possible gene-specific approaches for ALS-FTD is provided.
Material and Methods: Analysis of the progression of ALS and FTD research by considering the increasing state of knowledge on the underlying pathomechanisms of the diseases.
Results: In addition to anti-inflammatory approaches and stabilization of protein folding, promising gene-specific treatment approaches are currently being developed, which target common causes of ALS and FTD and therefore have an effect on both diseases.
Conclusion: So far there are no causal treatment options for ALS and FTD. The increasing importance of genetic causes directs the focus to the development of gene-specific treatment.
(© 2021. Springer Medizin Verlag GmbH, ein Teil von Springer Nature.)