title: The undiscovered syndrome: Macdonald Critchley's case of semantic dementia.
abstract: Semantic dementia is a unique clinicopathological syndrome in the frontotemporal lobar degeneration spectrum. It is characterized by progressive and relatively selective impairment of semantic memory, associated with asymmetric antero-inferior temporal lobe atrophy. Although the syndrome became widely recognized only in the 1980s, descriptions of cases with typical features of semantic dementia have been on record for over a century. Here, we draw attention to a well documented historical case of a patient with features that would have fulfilled current consensus criteria for semantic dementia, as reconstructed from the notes made by her neurologist, Macdonald Critchley, in 1938. This case raises a number of issues concerning the nosology of the semantic dementia syndrome and the potential value of archived case material.
authors.affiliation: a Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology , University College London , London , UK.
authors.forename: Pirada
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Witoonpanich
authors.forename: Sebastian J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Crutch
authors.forename: Jason D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Warren
authors.forename: Martin N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Rossor
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D057180:Frontotemporal Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000266:history* / Q000503:physiopathology; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged
keywords: Macdonald Critchley; historical; nosology; semantic dementia