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Slowly progressive aphasia: three cases with language, memory, CT and PET data.
D Kempler1, E J Metter, W H Riege
1School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry
|November 1, 1990
Summary
This study on progressive aphasia reveals varied symptoms and progression rates, not always leading to dementia. Brain imaging shows normal structure but abnormal left temporal lobe metabolism.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurology
- Linguistics
Background:
- Progressive aphasia is a neurodegenerative condition affecting speech and language.
- Understanding its varied clinical presentations and underlying pathology is crucial for diagnosis and management.
Observation:
- Three patients with slowly progressive speech and language disturbance were evaluated at 3, 5, and 15 years post-onset.
- Comprehensive assessments included language, neuropsychological testing, and brain imaging (CT and FDG-PET).
Findings:
- Progressive aphasia presents with a non-uniform symptom complex and variable progression rates.
- It does not invariably progress to a global dementia syndrome.
- Computer tomography revealed normal brain structure, while fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography indicated abnormal left temporal lobe metabolism.
- One patient exhibited histological evidence of Alzheimer's disease.
Implications:
- These findings challenge the notion of a single progressive aphasia phenotype.
- They highlight the importance of advanced neuroimaging in differentiating progressive aphasia from other dementias.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the specific neuropathological underpinnings and long-term outcomes.