Memory and orientation in the logopenic and nonfluent subtypes of primary progressive aphasia

Emma C Flanagan; Sicong Tu; Samrah Ahmed; John R Hodges; Michael Hornberger

doi:10.3233/JAD-131448

Memory and orientation in the logopenic and nonfluent subtypes of primary progressive aphasia

J Alzheimers Dis. 2014;40(1):33-6. doi: 10.3233/JAD-131448.

Authors

Emma C Flanagan¹, Sicong Tu², Samrah Ahmed³, John R Hodges², Michael Hornberger⁴

Affiliations

¹ Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
² Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, NSW, Australia Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
³ Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
⁴ Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, NSW, Australia Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Sydney, NSW, Australia Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.

PMID: 24321890
DOI: 10.3233/JAD-131448

Abstract

Memory and orientation were investigated as predictors of underlying Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology in patients with logopenic (lv) and non-fluent (na) variants of primary progressive aphasia (PPA). Memory and orientation scores from Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination were compared between 26 lv-PPA, 29 na-PPA, 59 AD, and 90 controls using analysis of variance. Forty-five patients underwent Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) positron emission tomography scans. Patients with lv-PPA performed poorer on memory and orientation than na-PPA and did not differ from the AD group. Post-hoc analysis on the PiB-scanned subgroup corroborated these results. Memory and orientation profiles may supplement language assessment in identifying patients with AD pathology.

Keywords: Memory; PPA; PiB; lv-PPA; na-PPA; orientation.

MeSH terms

Adjustment Disorders / etiology*
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aphasia, Primary Progressive / classification
Aphasia, Primary Progressive / complications*
Female
Humans
Language Tests
Male
Memory Disorders / diagnosis
Memory Disorders / etiology*
Middle Aged
Neuropsychological Tests
Orientation / physiology*