Print friendly version
Pick's disease
Other Names for this Disease
- Dementia with lobar atrophy and neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions
- Lobar atrophy of the brain
- Pick disease of the brain
See Disclaimer regarding information on this site. Some links on this page may take you to organizations outside of the National Institutes of Health.
Overview
Pick’s disease is a neurological condition characterized by a slowly progressive deterioration of behavior, personality, or language.[1] People with Pick's disease have abnormal substances (called Pick bodies) inside nerve cells in the damaged areas of the brain. Pick bodies contain an abnormal form of a protein called tau. This protein is found in all nerve cells, but people with Pick's disease have an abnormal amount or type of this protein.[2] Symptoms often present sometime in the 50s, though it can occur as early as age 20 or as late as age 80. The course of the disease varies from person to person.[1] The underlying cause of Pick's disease is unknown.[2] In some cases, the disease runs in families. While there is no treatment to slow the progression of the disease, medications can be used to treat individual symptoms.[1]
References
- Pick's Disease. The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration. http://www.theaftd.org/frontotemporal-degeneration/disorders/ftpicks. Accessed February 5, 2013.
- Jasmin L. Pick's disease. MedlinePlus. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000744.htm. Accessed February 5, 2013.
Your Questions Answered
by the Genetic and Rare Diseases Information CenterPlease contact us with your questions about Pick's disease. We will answer your question and update these pages with new resources and information.
On this page
General Information
- MedlinePlus, a Web site designed by the National Library of Medicine to help you research your health questions, provides more information about this topic. Click on the link to view this information.
- Medscape Reference provides information on this topic. Click on the link to view this information. You may need to register to view the medical textbook, but registration is free.
- The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) collects and disseminates research information related to neurological disorders. Click on the link to view information on this topic.
- Orphanet is a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. Access to this database is free of charge. Click on the link to read information on this topic.
- PubMed is a searchable database of medical literature and lists journal articles that discuss Pick's disease. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.
- The The Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) database contains genetics resources that discuss Pick's disease. Click on the link to go to OMIM and review these resources.
Insurance Issues
- The Social Security Administration has included this condition in their Compassionate Allowances Initiative. This initiative speeds up the processing of disability claims for applicants with certain medical conditions that cause severe disability. More information about Compassionate Allowances and applying for Social Security disability is available online.