Naming deficit in herpes simplex encephalitis.
OBJECTIVE
The preferential involvement of living categories in naming impairment is well recognised in Herpes Simplex Encephalitis (HSE). In this paper we describe naming, neuropsychological and neuroradiological findings with seven fresh HSE cases.


METHODS
Patients were given a picture naming task that included 60 items belonging to 6 different categories (three living, i.e. fruits, vegetables and animals and three non-living, i.e. furniture, vehicles and tools). In the statistical analysis several possible sources of bias as the frequency of the target word, the familiarity with the objects to name, the image complexity and other parameters were taken into account.


RESULTS
Four out of seven patients were significantly more impaired with living things. We describe their general cognitive profile and discuss the anatomo-functional aspects of category dissociation.


CONCLUSIONS
Language impairment, disproportionately severe for the naming of living exemplars, is frequently observed in HSE, is clinically relevant and should be specifically investigated.
Barbarotto
R
R
Milan University Clinic for Nervous Diseases, S. Paolo Hospital, Italy.
Capitani
E
E
Laiacona
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000849:Anomia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003210:Concept Formation / Q000502:physiology; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D018792:Encephalitis, Viral / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed