Primary progressive aphasia

Progression of language decline and cortical atrophy in subtypes ...

src: n.neurology.org

Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a type of neurological syndrome in which language capabilities slowly and progressively become impaired. As with other types of aphasia, the symptoms that accompany PPA depend on what parts of the left hemisphere are significantly damaged. However, unlike most other aphasias, PPA results from continuous deterioration in brain tissue, which leads to early symptoms being far less detrimental than later symptoms. Those with PPA slowly lose the ability to speak, write, read, and generally comprehend language. Eventually, almost every patient becomes mute and completely loses the ability to understand both written and spoken language. Although it was first described as solely impairment of language capabilities while other mental functions remain intact, it is now recognized that many, if not most of those afflicted suffer impairment of memory, short term memory formation and loss of executive functions. It was first described as a distinct syndrome by M.-Marsel Mesulam in 1982. Primary progressive aphasias have a clinical and pathological overlap with the frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) spectrum of disorders and Alzheimer's disease. However, PPA is not considered synonymous to Alzheimer's disease due to the fact that, unlike those affected by Alzheimer's disease, those with PPA are generally able to maintain the ability to care for themselves, remain employed, and pursue interests and hobbies. Moreover, in diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Pick's disease, and Creutzfeld-Jakob disease, progressive deterioration of comprehension and production of language is just one of the many possible types of mental deterioration, such as the progressive decline of memory, motor skills, reasoning, awareness, and visuospatial skills.

Video Primary progressive aphasia

Classification

Three classifications of primary progressive aphasia have been described. In the classical Mesulam criteria for primary progressive aphasia, there are two variants: a non-fluent type progressive nonfluent aphasia (PNFA) and a fluent type semantic dementia (SD). A third variant of primary progressive aphasia, logopenic progressive aphasia (LPA), is an atypical form of Alzheimer's disease. Early PNFA can include such features as speech apraxia, effortful speech, and anomia, and thus can resemble Broca's aphasia. Early LPA involves impairments in naming and sentence repetition, and thus can resemble Conduction aphasia. However, these PPA subtypes differ from these similar aphasias, as these subtypes do not occur acutely following trauma to the brain, such as following a stroke, due to differing functional and structural neuroanatomical patterns of involvement and the progressive nature of the disease.

Maps Primary progressive aphasia

Diagnostic criteria

The following diagnosis criteria were defined by Mesulam:

As opposed to having followed trauma to the brain, a patient must show an insidious onset and a gradual progression of aphasia, defined as a disorder of sentence and/or word usage, affecting the production and comprehension of speech.
The disorder in question must be the only determinant on functional impairment in the activities of the patient's daily living.
On the basis of diagnostic procedures, the disorder in question must be unequivocally attributed to a neurodegenerative process.

Whether or not PPA and other aphasias are the only source of cognitive impairment in a patient is often difficult to assess because: 1) as with other neurologically degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, there are currently no reliable non-invasive diagnostic tests for aphasias, and thus neuropsychological assessments are the only tool physicians have for diagnosing patients; and 2) aphasias often affect other, non-language portions of these neuropsychological tests, such as those specific for memory.

The logopenic/phonological variant of primary progressive aphasia ...

src: n.neurology.org

Risk factors

There have been no large epidemiological studies on the incidence and prevalence of the PPA variants. Though it most likely has been underestimated, onset of PPA has been found to occur in the sixth or seventh decade.

There are no known environmental risk factors for the progressive aphasias. However, one observational, retrospective study suggested that vasectomy could be a risk factor for PPA in men. These results have yet to be replicated or demonstrated by prospective studies.

PPA is not considered a hereditary disease. However, relatives of a person with any form of frontotemporal lobar degeneration, including PPA, are at slightly greater risk of developing PPA or another form of the condition. In a quarter of patients diagnosed with PPA, there is a family history of PPA or one of the other disorders in the FTLD spectrum of disorders. It has been found that genetic predisposition varies among the different PPA variants, with PNFA being more commonly familial in nature than LPA or SD.

The most convincing genetic basis of PPA has been found to be a mutation in the GRN gene. Most patients with observed GRN mutations present clinical features of PNFA, but the phenotype can be atypical.

src: i0.wp.com

Treatment

Due to the progressive, continuous nature of the disease, improvement over time seldom occurs in patients with PPA as it often does in patients with aphasias caused by trauma to the brain.

In terms of medical approaches to treating PPA, there are currently no drugs specifically used for patients with PPA, nor are there any specifically designed interventions for PPA. A large reason for this is the limited research that has been done on this disease. However, in some cases, patients with PPA are prescribed the same drugs Alzheimer's patients are normally prescribed.

The primary approach to treating PPA has been with behavioral treatment, with the hope that these methods can provide new ways for patients to communicate in order to compensate for their deteriorated abilities. Speech therapy can assist an individual with strategies to overcome difficulties. There are three very broad categories of therapy interventions for aphasia: restorative therapy approaches, compensatory therapy approaches, and social therapy approaches. Rapid and sustained improvement in speech and dementia in a patient with primary progressive aphasia utilizing off-label perispinal etanercept, an anti-TNF treatment strategy also used for Alzheimer's, has been reported. A video depicting the patient's improvement was published in conjunction with the print article. These findings have not been independently replicated and remain controversial.

Primary progressive aphasia: Reversed asymmetry of atrophy and ...

src: n.neurology.org

Causes

Currently, the specific causes for PPA and other degenerative brain disease similar to PPA are unknown. Autopsies have revealed a variety of brain abnormalities in people who had PPA. These autopsies, as well as imaging techniques such as CT scans, MRI, EEG, single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and positron emission tomography (PET), have generally revealed abnormalities to be almost exclusively in the left hemisphere.

src: pbs.twimg.com

Examples

On September 23, 2016, it was reported that Terry Jones of Monty Python had been diagnosed with the condition.

Clinical marker for Alzheimer disease pathology in logopenic ...

src: n.neurology.org

References

Can MRI Visual Assessment Differentiate the Variants of Primary ...

src: www.ajnr.org

External links

FAQ on PPA from IMPPACT, the International PPA Connection
PPA information from the UCSF Memory and Aging Center
Northwestern Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center
Primary Progressive Aphasia Support Group (Facebook)

Source of article : Wikipedia

Primary progressive aphasia

Kamis, 29 Maret 2018