[Non-aphasic misnaming: a case report and literature review]

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Neurology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Non-aphasic misnaming is a rare language disorder.
• It presents with word-finding difficulties and paraphasias without significant aphasia.

Observation:

• A 71-year-old woman presented with sudden conversational difficulties, euphoria, disorientation, and memory disturbance.
• She exhibited fluent speech but struggled with object naming, word-finding, and irrelevant paraphasia, particularly when discussing emotions.
• Anosognosia was also noted.

Findings:

• Neuroimaging revealed an infarct in the left tuberothalamic artery territory, with reduced activity in the left thalamus and frontal/temporal lobes.
• The patient was diagnosed with non-aphasic misnaming.
• Literature review confirmed word-finding difficulty and irrelevant paraphasia as core features, along with emotional disturbance or anosognosia.

Implications:

• This case highlights the complex relationship between brain lesions, language, emotion, and self-awareness.
• Understanding non-aphasic misnaming contributes to the broader study of semantic and executive language functions.
• Further research is needed to elucidate the neural underpinnings of this condition.