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

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.

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.

Analysis of the progression of ALS and FTD research by considering the increasing state of knowledge on the underlying pathomechanisms of the diseases.

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.

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.