Anatomical correlates of early mutism in progressive nonfluent aphasia.
Patients with progressive nonfluent aphasia (PNFA) can become mute early in the course of the disease. Voxel-based morphometry showed that PNFA is associated with left anterior insula and inferior frontal atrophy. In PNFA with early mutism, volume loss was more prominent in the pars opercularis and extended into the left basal ganglia. Damage to the network of brain regions involved in both coordination and execution of speech causes mutism in PNFA.
Gorno-Tempini
M L
ML
UCSF Department of Neurology, Memory and Aging Center, 350 Parnassus Ave., Suite 800, Box 1207, San Francisco, CA 94143-1207, USA. marilu@memory.ucsf.edu
Ogar
J M
JM
Brambati
S M
SM
Wang
P
P
Jeong
J H
JH
Rankin
K P
KP
Dronkers
N F
NF
Miller
B L
BL
D000368:Aged; D018888:Aphasia, Primary Progressive / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001284:Atrophy / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009155:Mutism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014705:Verbal Behavior / Q000502:physiology