Exploring Language Impairment in Catalan-Dominant Bilinguals with Primary Progressive Aphasia: Preliminary Data

Area of Science:

• Neurolinguistics
• Clinical Linguistics
• Psycholinguistics

Background:

• Limited research exists on primary progressive aphasia (PPA) in minority languages, impacting diagnosis and intervention.
• Catalan, a minority language, lacks standardized diagnostic tools for PPA.
• Bilingual speakers of minority languages face unique challenges in PPA assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the Catalan version of the Comprehensive Aphasia Test (CAT-CAT).
• To assess CAT-CAT's efficacy in detecting and characterizing PPA in Catalan-dominant bilingual individuals.
• To address the diagnostic gap for PPA in minority language speakers.

Main Methods:

• The CAT-CAT was administered to four participants with a clinical diagnosis of PPA.
• A small cohort of Catalan-dominant bilingual individuals with PPA was studied.
• Qualitative and quantitative analysis of linguistic deficits was performed.

Main Results:

• The CAT-CAT successfully identified core linguistic impairments, including anomia.
• Distinct PPA variant profiles and severity levels were revealed by the test.
• The CAT-CAT detected deficits missed by informal assessments and clinical observation.

Conclusions:

• This study offers the first detailed characterization of PPA in Catalan speakers.
• The findings underscore the need for standardized tools in neurodegenerative language research.
• Accurate diagnosis and intervention for bilingual PPA patients are improved by validated assessments.