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The New Classification of Primary Progressive Aphasia into Semantic, Logopenic, or Nonfluent/Agrammatic Variants

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Abstract

Primary progressive aphasia (PPA), typically resulting from a neurodegenerative disease such as frontotemporal lobar degeneration or Alzheimer’s disease, is characterized by a progressive loss of specific language functions with relative sparing of other cognitive domains. Three variants of PPA are now recognized: semantic variant, logopenic variant, and nonfluent/agrammatic variant. We discuss recent work characterizing the neurolinguistic, neuropsychological, imaging and pathologic profiles associated with these variants. Improved reliability of diagnoses will be increasingly important as trials for etiology-specific treatments become available. We also discuss the implications of these syndromes for theories of language function.

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Acknowledgments

Michael F. Bonner has received grant support from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). Sharon Ash has received grants from NIH (AG15116, AG17586, NS44266, and NS53488). Murray Grossman has received grants from NIH (NS054575, AG15116, AG17586, NS44266, NS53488, and AG32953).

Disclosure

Murray Grossman is a member and a medical advisor for the board of the Association for Frontotemporal Dementias; he has been a consultant for Pfizer, Forest, and Allon; he has received honoraria for Ground Rounds, Penn State; and has received expenses for travel/accommodations for Grand Rounds, UCSF, and McGill. Sharon Ash has received royalties from Mouton de Gruyter for The Atlas of North American English: Phonetics, Phonology and Sound Change, published in 2006.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, 2 Gibson, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Michael F. Bonner, Sharon Ash & Murray Grossman

  2. Department of Neurology, 3 West Gates, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Sharon Ash

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  1. Michael F. Bonner
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Correspondence to Murray Grossman.

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Bonner, M.F., Ash, S. & Grossman, M. The New Classification of Primary Progressive Aphasia into Semantic, Logopenic, or Nonfluent/Agrammatic Variants. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep 10, 484–490 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11910-010-0140-4

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