What causes shrinkage of the frontal lobe?

FTD or Frontotemporal atrophy or frontotemporal dementia is a group of disorders that occur when nerve cells in the frontal lobe of the brain are lost, damaged or begin to die, this causes the lobes to shrink as the brain discards or destroys the dead or damaged cells.

This is another way of saying Dementia, and anything from narcotics and alcohol to trauma or PTSD all the way down to simply being old can cause the disease to arise.

Often the cause of frontotemporal atrophy or frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is unknown although some diseases are thought to be responsible for some of the cases. These diseases include Alzheimer's, Pick's disease, cerebral palsy as well as having a stroke or a traumatic brain injury. Other common causes include alcohol, narcotics, aging and a family history of FTD. These diseases and conditions cause the progressive deterioration of the brain's frontal and temporal lobes.