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Neuropsychological Profiles Differ among the Three Variants of Primary Progressive Aphasia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 June 2015

Alissa M. Butts ,
Mary M. Machulda ,
Joseph R. Duffy ,
Edythe A. Strand ,
Jennifer L. Whitwell  and
Keith A. Josephs
Alissa M. Butts
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychology (Neuropsychology), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
Mary M. Machulda*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychology (Neuropsychology), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
Joseph R. Duffy
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology (Speech Pathology), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
Edythe A. Strand
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology (Speech Pathology), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
Jennifer L. Whitwell
Affiliation:
Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
Keith A. Josephs
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology (Behavioral Neurology), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to: Mary M. Machulda, College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, 200 1st Street S.W., Rochester, MN 55905. E-mail: machulda.mary@mayo.edu
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Abstract

The objective of this study was to describe the neuropsychological profiles of the three variants of primary progressive aphasia (PPA). Based on a comprehensive speech and language evaluation, 91 subjects were classified as logopenic (lvPPA=51), semantic (svPPA=13), or agrammatic (agPPA=27). All subjects completed a separate neuropsychological evaluation assessing verbal and visual memory, processing speed, executive function, and visuospatial function. The groups did not differ on demographic variables or on measures of disease duration or aphasia severity. There were group differences on aspects of learning and memory, as well as aspects of executive and visuospatial functions, primarily with the lvPPA group performing lower than the agPPA and svPPA groups. The agPPA group showed subtle deficits consistent with frontal lobe impairment, whereas neurocognitive weaknesses in the svPPA group were restricted to temporal lobe functions. The pattern of neurocognitive dysfunction in lvPPA suggests disease involvement of frontal lobe functions in addition to temporoparietal functions. These neurocognitive findings emphasize the value of a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation of individuals who present with primary language disturbance, given the pattern of cognitive deficits may provide additive information for differentiating these clinical syndromes. (JINS, 2015, 21, 429–435)

Keywords

Primary progressive aphasiaNeuropsychologyLogopenicAgrammaticSemanticCognition
Type
Research Articles
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 21 , Issue 6 , July 2015 , pp. 429 - 435
Copyright
Copyright © The International Neuropsychological Society 2015 

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