LONDON, ENGLAND — The development of a warped sense of humor could be an early sign of dementia, scientists have found.

The families of patients with frontotemporal dementia revealed with hindsight, they had noticed that loved ones had developed a darker sense of humor years before the disease had been diagnosed.

Many said their relatives had begun laughing at tragic events in the news or in their personal lives, such as one who was amused when his wife scalded herself.

Experts from University College London, who questioned the friends and family of 48 patients, said more research was now needed to understand how and when changes in humor could act as a red flag for dementia. Frontotemporal is one of the rarer forms of dementia, but one of the more common causes of the disease for those under 65. It affects the area of the brain that controls personality and behaviour.

As opposed to Alzheimer’s, which causes difficulty with memory, patients can instead lose their inhibition, become more impulsive and struggle with social situations.

Dr. Camilla Clark said: “As sense of humor defines us and is used to build relationships with those around us, changes in what we find funny has impacts far beyond picking a new favorite TV show.

“We’ve highlighted the need to shift the emphasis from dementia being solely about memory loss.

“These findings have implications for diagnosis — not only should personality and behavior changes ring alarm bells, but clinicians themselves need to be more aware of these symptoms as an early sign of dementia.”

Source: Telegraph