Neuropathologic Associations of Learning and Memory in Primary Progressive Aphasia

摘要: Importance The dementia syndrome of primary progressive aphasia (PPA) can be caused by 1 several neuropathologic entities, including forms frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) or Alzheimer disease (AD). Although episodic memory is initially spared in this syndrome, the subtle learning and features PPA their associations have not been characterized. Objective To detect differences on basis autopsy-confirmed diagnoses PPA. Design, Setting, Participants Retrospective analysis was conducted at Northwestern Cognitive Neurology Alzheimer’s Disease Center August 2015 using clinical postmortem autopsy data that had collected between 1983 June 2012. Thirteen patients who diagnosis an either AD (PPA-AD) a tau variant FTLD (PPA-FTLD) 6 amnestic (AMN-AD) were included. Main Outcomes Measures Scores effortless learning, delayed retrieval, retention conditions Three Words Shapes test, specialized measure verbal nonverbal memory. Results PPA-FTLD (n = 6), PPA-AD (n = 7), AMN-AD (n = 6) groups did differ demographic composition (all P  > .05). sample mean (SD) age 64.1 (10.3) years symptom onset 67.9 (9.9) test administration. group normal (ie, near-ceiling) scores all conditions. Both deficits (mean [SD] number errors, 9.9 [4.6] 14.2 [2.0], respectively) retrieval 6.1 [5.9] 12.0 [4.4], respectively). additional 10.3 [4.0]) 8.33 [5.2]), which observed Conclusions Relevance This study identified cases Among with neuropathology appeared to interfere information, whereas FTLD-tau pathology not. results provide directions for future research interactions limbic language networks.