Relationships between [18F]-THK5351 Retention and Language Functions in Primary Progressive Aphasia

Language functions, particularly disordered lexical skills were diagnosed in the examined woman based on selected diagnostic tests of the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination (BDAE). Furthermore, an experimental version of the author's original test for assessing lexical-semantic performance in dementia was used. The author presents a case study of a 79-year-old woman diagnosed with logopenic variant primary progressive aphasia (lvPPA) secondary to Alzheimer’s disease. The author describes the symptoms of anomie manifested by the study participant and the supplementary strategies she applied in the case of lexical deficits. The analysis of the findings obtained in the course of language function assessment allowed the author to assess the fluency of speech, speech comprehension, repetition and naming. The study participant diagnosed with lvPPA was observed to manifest the following: an absence of motor speech disorders, absence of characteristics of evident agrammatism, preserved comprehension of individual words, preserved semantic knowledge of objects, disordered retrieval of words in spontaneous speech and in attempts to name, and disordered repetition of sentences and phrases. The analysis of the discussed case study allowed the author to discuss the progressive lexical deficits manifested by the lvPPA patient and to record those supplementary strategies that were most frequently applied in the lexical difficulties experienced by the female patient diagnosed with lvPPA.

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Memory Resilience in Alzheimer Disease With Primary Progressive Aphasia

Neurology ◽

10.1212/wnl.0000000000011397 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 96 (6) ◽

pp. e916-e925

Author(s):

M.-Marsel Mesulam ◽

Christina Coventry ◽

Alan Kuang ◽

Eileen H. Bigio ◽

Qinwen Mao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer Disease ◽

Verbal Memory ◽

Incidental Finding ◽

Primary Progressive Aphasia ◽

Neurofibrillary Degeneration ◽

Progressive Aphasia ◽

Primary Progressive ◽

Language Functions ◽

Link Type ◽

Potential Factors

ObjectiveTo determine whether memory is preserved longitudinally in primary progressive aphasia (PPA) associated with Alzheimer disease (AD) and to identify potential factors that maintain memory despite underlying neurofibrillary degeneration of mediotemporal memory areas.MethodsLongitudinal memory assessment was done in 17 patients with PPA with autopsy or biomarker evidence of AD (PPA-AD) and 14 patients with amnestic dementia of the Alzheimer type with AD at autopsy (DAT-AD).ResultsIn PPA-AD, episodic memory, tested with nonverbal items, was preserved at the initial testing and showed no decline at retesting 2.35 ± 0.78 years later, at which time symptoms had been present for 6.26 ± 2.21 years. In contrast, language functions declined significantly during the same period. In DAT-AD, both verbal memory and language declined with equal severity. Although imaging showed asymmetric left-sided mediotemporal atrophy in PPA-AD, autopsy revealed bilateral hippocampo-entorhinal neurofibrillary degeneration at Braak stages V and VI. Compared to DAT-AD, however, the PPA-AD group had lower incidence of APOE ε4 and of mediotemporal TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) pathology.ConclusionsMemory preservation in PPA is not just an incidental finding at onset but a core feature that persists for years despite the hippocampo-entorhinal AD neuropathology that is as severe as that of DAT-AD. Asymmetry of mediotemporal atrophy and a lesser impact of APOE ε4 and of TDP-43 on the integrity of memory circuitry may constitute some of the factors underlying this resilience. Our results also suggest that current controversies on memory in PPA-AD reflect inconsistencies in the diagnosis of logopenic PPA, the clinical variant most frequently associated with AD.ClinicalTrials.gov IdentifierNCT00537004 and NCT03371706.

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Profile of linguistic and cognitive deficits in persons with a semantic variant of a primary progressive aphasia

Medicinski casopis ◽

10.5937/mckg54-27796 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 54 (3) ◽

pp. 113-119

Author(s):

Lana Jerkić ◽

Dragan Pavlović ◽

Mile Vuković ◽

Jelena Todorović ◽

Mirna Zelić

Keyword(s):

Specific Treatment ◽

Primary Progressive Aphasia ◽

Semantic Knowledge ◽

Cognitive Changes ◽

Progressive Aphasia ◽

Progressive Deterioration ◽

Primary Progressive ◽

Language Functions ◽

Semantic Variant ◽

Speech And Language Disorders

Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) includes a group of neurodegenerative disorders that are characterized by progressive deterioration of language functions, while other cognitive functions, at least at the onset of the disease, are relatively spared. There are three basic subtypes of PPA: the nonfluent progressive aphasia (nvPPA), the semantic variant of a primary progressive aphasia (svPPA), and the logopenic progressive aphasia (lvPPA). The semantic variant of a PPA can also be found in the literature under the term of semantic dementia. It is clinically manifested by progressive deterioration of semantic knowledge, fluent aphasia, impaired naming and comprehension, prosopagnosia and surface dyslexia and dysgraphia (in languages with irregular orthography). As the disease progresses, other cognitive changes can be observed. The main cause of the disorder is progressive bilateral atrophy of the anterior temporal lobes, which is more manifested in the left hemisphere. The literature is modest in terms of the use of specific treatment methods in the rehabilitation of these patients. Since speech and language disorders are the most conspicuous symptom, at least at the beginning of the disease, the role of speech therapists in the assessment and restitution of speechlanguage and communication skills is also indisputable.

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P1-354: RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN [18 F]-THK5351 RETENTION AND LANGUAGE FUNCTIONS IN PRIMARY PROGRESSIVE APHASIA

Alzheimer s & Dementia ◽

10.1016/j.jalz.2019.06.909 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

pp. P386-P386

Author(s):

Young Noh ◽

Hye Jin Jeong ◽

Cindy W. Yoon ◽

Kee Hyung Park ◽

Kyoung-Min Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary Progressive Aphasia ◽

Progressive Aphasia ◽

Primary Progressive ◽

Language Functions

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PPA Tele-Savvy: Developing an Online Intervention with Caregivers of Persons with Primary Progressive Aphasia

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.2960 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 811-811

Author(s):

Darby Morhardt ◽

Angela Roberts ◽

Alyssa Penn ◽

Allison Lindauer ◽

Emily Rogalski ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary Progressive Aphasia ◽

Pilot Project ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Progressive Aphasia ◽

Primary Progressive ◽

Language Functions ◽

Dementia Caregiver ◽

Personality Changes ◽

Caregiver Interventions ◽

The Impact

Abstract Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) typically results from a neurodegenerative disease such as frontotemporal lobar degeneration or Alzheimer’s disease and is characterized by a progressive loss of specific language functions with relative sparing of other cognitive domains until later stages when widespread cognitive decline consistent with generalized dementia is more prevalent. PPA tends to appear earlier than most dementias, in late middle-age, and can result in a high degree of psychological and economic burden for the family. Thematic analysis of PPA caregiver studies reveal families are learning to adapt to not only declining language across communicative contexts and domains, but concomitant behavioral, social communication and personality changes over time. While there are several evidence-based dementia caregiver interventions, none are specifically designed for the PPA family caregiver. This pilot project, funded by the Emory University Roybal Center is the adaptation of an evidence-based on-line psychoeducation program (Tele-Savvy) to address the unique challenges facing informal caregivers of those living with PPA and to help these caregivers achieve mastery within this context. PPA caregivers have been engaged through focus groups to identify their most pressing caregiving challenges and how the existing Tele-Savvy curriculum should be adapted to meet their needs. Synchronous and asynchronous video modules have been designed to address: PPA education, the impact on dyadic connection and caregiving challenges and communication strategies specific to PPA. The Tele-Savvy central processes of coaching and de-briefing will also be pilot tested and refined.

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