I came across this article and was really surprised at the amazing skills that some patients with Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) develop in the arts. It is a refreshing view that FTD patients not only carry the heavy burden of a terrible disease, but that there can be something positive amidst this nightmare.

Miller became fascinated by the idea that something as terrible as neurodegeneration could yield something positive. “In neurology, we’re so good at describing deficits,” he said. “For me, and I think for most people, it was a paradox. It was not something we were trained to think about.” As his curiosity grew, Miller encountered more FTD patients with visual artistic creativity. “I started to see people coming into my office who had carved ducks out of wood or who had welded beautiful insectlike creatures or who had started painting,” he said.

www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/…