Trial for dementia

IN a world-first trial, Australians with a devastating form of dementia that strikes in middle age will be given a drug aimed at slowing the progression of the disease.

Thousands of Australians have the neurodegenerative condition which causes changes in their personality and behaviour or language skills, depending on which part of the brain is damaged.

Frontotemporal dementia typically occurs between 45-65 and is estimated to affect up to 11,500 Australians.

A new drug trial in Melbourne will hopefully lead to the medication becoming the first disease-modifying therapy for behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia.

University of Melbourne Professor Terence O’Brien said patients would be given sodium selenate tablets and tested for changes in the brain over a 12-month period.