On dementia and politics: Gaius Marius, frontotemporal dementia in Ancient Rome
M. Macías-Arribí, A. Puy-Núñez, J. M. Aldrey-Vázquez, J. M. Pias-Peleteiro
Neurosciences and History 2025;13(1): 38-47
Type of article: ORIGINAL
AUTHORS
M. Macías-Arribí1, A. Puy-Núñez2, J. M. Aldrey-Vázquez3, J. M. Pias-Peleteiro3
1Neurology Department. Hospital Juan Cardona, Ferrol, A Coruña, Spain.
2Neurology Department. Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Ferrol, Ferrol, A Coruña, Spain.
3Neurology Department. Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Spain.
From the History of Neurology and Humanities Study Group of the Galician Neurological Society
ABSTRACT
Frontotemporal dementia is a neurodegenerative disease that, in its behavioral variant (bvFTD), manifests with behavioral and psychiatric symptoms. We analyze the biographical data provided by Plutarch, a Greek writer of the first century AD, in his work Parallel Lives, about the famous Roman general and statesman Gaius Marius, who, through an extraordinary capacity for commitment, rose from humble origins to be elected consul seven times, a unique case in Republican Rome. The objective of this article is to evaluate whether the remarkable changes in the behavior and personality of this distinguished Roman during the latter years of his life are consistent with the development of bvFTD. These changes included inappropriate social behavior, loss of manners and decorum, apathy, diminished empathy, and hyperorality. He also developed complex compulsive behaviors, anosognosia including inability to perceive his own limitations, and a delusion of ruin. These alterations are consistent with the current clinical criteria for the diagnosis of bvFTD.
In conclusion, the biographical description of Gaius Marius collected in Plutarch’s work Parallel Lives is possibly the first historical record of clinical bvFTD, and highlights an ancient, perilous connection between the aging of key politicians and cognitive-behavioral changes.
KEYWORDS
Ancient Rome, frontotemporal dementia, Gaius Marius, history of neurology, Parallel Lives, Plutarch, politics.
Neurosciences and History 2025;13(1): 38-47
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