title: Neuropsychological Profiles Differ among the Three Variants of Primary Progressive Aphasia.
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.
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Psychiatry and Psychology (Neuropsychology),Mayo Clinic,Rochester,Minnesota.
authors.forename: Alissa M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Butts
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Psychiatry and Psychology (Neuropsychology),Mayo Clinic,Rochester,Minnesota.
authors.forename: Mary M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Machulda
authors.affiliation: 2Department of Neurology (Speech Pathology),Mayo Clinic,Rochester,Minnesota.
authors.forename: Joseph R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Duffy
authors.affiliation: 2Department of Neurology (Speech Pathology),Mayo Clinic,Rochester,Minnesota.
authors.forename: Edythe A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Strand
authors.affiliation: 3Department of Radiology,Mayo Clinic,Rochester,Minnesota.
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Whitwell
authors.affiliation: 4Department of Neurology (Behavioral Neurology),Mayo Clinic,Rochester,Minnesota.
authors.forename: Keith A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Josephs
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D018888:Aphasia, Primary Progressive / Q000145:classification* / Q000150:complications*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013028:Space Perception; D013060:Speech; D014706:Verbal Learning
keywords: Agrammatic; Cognition; Logopenic; Neuropsychology; Primary progressive aphasia; Semantic