Dementia symptoms detected in warped sense of humour
KAT LAY
THE TIMES
NOVEMBER 12, 2015 12:00AM
Scientists discovered that those with dementia laughed inappropriately at tragic events and preferred slapstick jokes. Source: ThinkStock A warped sense of humour could be an early sign of dementia, according to scientists who discovered that those with the disease laughed inappropriately at tragic events and preferred slapstick jokes.
Changes in what sufferers found funny started being detected about nine years before their illnesses were diagnosed, the researchers said.
“As sense of humour defines us and is used to build relationships with those around us, changes have impacts far beyond picking a favourite TV show,” said Camilla Clark, who led the study at the Dementia Research Centre, University College London.
“These findings have implications for diagnosis.”
The researchers looked at people who had frontotemporal dementia — the most common cause of dementia in under-55s — and Alzheimer’s disease, the leading cause of dementia overall.
Friends and relatives were asked to rate their loved ones’ preferences for different styles of humour, including slapstick such as Mr Bean, satire such as Yes, Minister or absurdist comedy such as Monty Python.
They were also asked whether they had noticed instances of inappropriate humour, and to reflect on the past 15 years — well before diagnosis — to identify shifts in preference.
Those with FTD and Alzheimer’s tended to prefer slapstick to satirical and absurdist humour when compared with healthy people of a similar age.
The study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, also found people with a form of FTD known as behavioural-variant FTD laughed at things others would not find funny, such as a badly parked car or barking dog, and even at tragic events on the news or in their personal lives. The Time
