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Carlos AF, Weigand SD, Duffy JR, Clark HM, Utianski RL, Machulda MM, Botha H, Thu Pham NT, Lowe VJ, Schwarz CG, Whitwell JL, Josephs KA. Volumetric analysis of hippocampal subregions and subfields in left and right semantic dementia. Brain Commun 2024; 6:fcae097. [PMID: 38572268 PMCID: PMC10988847 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcae097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Two variants of semantic dementia are recognized based on the laterality of temporal lobe involvement: a left-predominant variant associated with verbal knowledge impairment and a right-predominant variant associated with behavioural changes and non-verbal knowledge loss. This cross-sectional clinicoradiologic study aimed to assess whole hippocampal, subregion, and/or subfield volume loss in semantic dementia versus controls and across its variants. Thirty-five semantic dementia participants and 15 controls from the Neurodegenerative Research Group at Mayo Clinic who had completed 3.0-T volumetric magnetic resonance imaging and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography were included. Classification as left-predominant (n = 25) or right-predominant (n = 10) variant was based on temporal lobe hypometabolism. Volumes of hippocampal subregions (head, body, and tail) and subfields (parasubiculum, presubiculum, subiculum, cornu ammonis 1, cornu ammonis 3, cornu ammonis 4, dentate gyrus, molecular layer, hippocampal-amygdaloid transition area, and fimbria) were obtained using FreeSurfer 7. Subfield volumes were measured separately from head and body subregions. We fit linear mixed-effects models using log-transformed whole hippocampal/subregion/subfield volumes as dependent variables; age, sex, total intracranial volume, hemisphere and a group-by-hemisphere interaction as fixed effects; and subregion/subfield nested within hemisphere as a random effect. Significant results (P < 0.05) are hereby reported. At the whole hippocampal level, the dominant (predominantly involved) hemisphere of both variants showed 23-27% smaller volumes than controls. The non-dominant (less involved) hemisphere of the right-predominant variant also showed volume loss versus controls and the left-predominant variant. At the subregional level, both variants showed 17-28% smaller dominant hemisphere head, body, and tail than controls, with the right-predominant variant also showing 8-12% smaller non-dominant hemisphere head than controls and left-predominant variant. At the subfield level, the left-predominant variant showed 12-36% smaller volumes across all dominant hemisphere subfields and 14-15% smaller non-dominant hemisphere parasubiculum, presubiculum (head and body), subiculum (head) and hippocampal-amygdaloid transition area than controls. The right-predominant variant showed 16-49% smaller volumes across all dominant hemisphere subfields and 14-22% smaller parasubiculum, presubiculum, subiculum, cornu ammonis 3, hippocampal-amygdaloid transition area (all from the head) and fimbria of non-dominant hemisphere versus controls. Comparison of dominant hemispheres showed 16-29% smaller volumes of the parasubiculum, presubiculum (head) and fimbria in the right-predominant than left-predominant variant; comparison of non-dominant hemispheres showed 12-15% smaller cornu ammonis 3, cornu ammonis 4, dentate gyrus, hippocampal-amygdaloid transition area (all from the head) and cornu ammonis 1, cornu ammonis 3 and cornu ammonis 4 (all from the body) in the right-predominant variant. All hippocampal subregion/subfield volumes are affected in semantic dementia, although some are more affected in both dominant and non-dominant hemispheres of the right-predominant than the left-predominant variant by the time of presentation. Involvement of hippocampal structures is apparently more subregion dependent than subfield dependent, indicating possible superiority of subregion volumes as disease biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arenn F Carlos
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905 USA
| | - Stephen D Weigand
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905 USA
| | - Joseph R Duffy
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905 USA
| | - Heather M Clark
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905 USA
| | - Rene L Utianski
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905 USA
| | - Mary M Machulda
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905 USA
| | - Hugo Botha
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905 USA
| | | | - Val J Lowe
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905 USA
| | | | | | - Keith A Josephs
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905 USA
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Belder CRS, Marshall CR, Jiang J, Mazzeo S, Chokesuwattanaskul A, Rohrer JD, Volkmer A, Hardy CJD, Warren JD. Primary progressive aphasia: six questions in search of an answer. J Neurol 2024; 271:1028-1046. [PMID: 37906327 PMCID: PMC10827918 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-023-12030-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
Here, we review recent progress in the diagnosis and management of primary progressive aphasia-the language-led dementias. We pose six key unanswered questions that challenge current assumptions and highlight the unresolved difficulties that surround these diseases. How many syndromes of primary progressive aphasia are there-and is syndromic diagnosis even useful? Are these truly 'language-led' dementias? How can we diagnose (and track) primary progressive aphasia better? Can brain pathology be predicted in these diseases? What is their core pathophysiology? In addition, how can primary progressive aphasia best be treated? We propose that pathophysiological mechanisms linking proteinopathies to phenotypes may help resolve the clinical complexity of primary progressive aphasia, and may suggest novel diagnostic tools and markers and guide the deployment of effective therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher R S Belder
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, 8 - 11 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
- Adelaide Medical School, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Charles R Marshall
- Preventive Neurology Unit, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Jessica Jiang
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, 8 - 11 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Salvatore Mazzeo
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, 8 - 11 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, University of Florence, Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria Careggi, Florence, Italy
| | - Anthipa Chokesuwattanaskul
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, 8 - 11 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
- Division of Neurology, Department of Internal Medicine, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok, Thailand
- Cognitive Clinical and Computational Neuroscience Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Jonathan D Rohrer
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, 8 - 11 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Anna Volkmer
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, 8 - 11 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Chris J D Hardy
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, 8 - 11 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Jason D Warren
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, 8 - 11 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK.
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Hardy CJD, Taylor‐Rubin C, Taylor B, Harding E, Gonzalez AS, Jiang J, Thompson L, Kingma R, Chokesuwattanaskul A, Walker F, Barker S, Brotherhood E, Waddington C, Wood O, Zimmermann N, Kupeli N, Yong KXX, Camic PM, Stott J, Marshall CR, Oxtoby NP, Rohrer JD, Volkmer A, Crutch SJ, Warren JD. Symptom-led staging for semantic and non-fluent/agrammatic variants of primary progressive aphasia. Alzheimers Dement 2024; 20:195-210. [PMID: 37548125 PMCID: PMC10917001 DOI: 10.1002/alz.13415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Here we set out to create a symptom-led staging system for the canonical semantic and non-fluent/agrammatic variants of primary progressive aphasia (PPA), which present unique diagnostic and management challenges not well captured by functional scales developed for Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. METHODS An international PPA caregiver cohort was surveyed on symptom development under six provisional clinical stages and feedback was analyzed using a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design. RESULTS Both PPA syndromes were characterized by initial communication dysfunction and non-verbal behavioral changes, with increasing syndromic convergence and functional dependency at later stages. Milestone symptoms were distilled to create a prototypical progression and severity scale of functional impairment: the PPA Progression Planning Aid ("PPA-Squared"). DISCUSSION This work introduces a symptom-led staging scheme and functional scale for semantic and non-fluent/agrammatic variants of PPA. Our findings have implications for diagnostic and care pathway guidelines, trial design, and personalized prognosis and treatment for PPA. HIGHLIGHTS We introduce new symptom-led perspectives on primary progressive aphasia (PPA). The focus is on non-fluent/agrammatic (nfvPPA) and semantic (svPPA) variants. Foregrounding of early and non-verbal features of PPA and clinical trajectories is featured. We introduce a symptom-led staging scheme for PPA. We propose a prototype for a functional impairment scale, the PPA Progression Planning Aid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris J. D. Hardy
- Dementia Research CentreUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyUCLLondonUK
| | - Cathleen Taylor‐Rubin
- Uniting War Memorial HospitalSydneyAustralia
- Faculty of MedicineHealth and Human SciencesMacquarie UniversitySydneyAustralia
| | - Beatrice Taylor
- Centre for Medical Image ComputingDepartment of Computer ScienceUCLLondonUK
| | - Emma Harding
- Dementia Research CentreUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyUCLLondonUK
| | | | - Jessica Jiang
- Dementia Research CentreUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyUCLLondonUK
| | | | | | - Anthipa Chokesuwattanaskul
- Dementia Research CentreUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyUCLLondonUK
- Division of NeurologyDepartment of Internal MedicineKing Chulalongkorn Memorial HospitalBangkokThailand
- Cognitive Clinical and Computational Neuroscience Research UnitFaculty of MedicineChulalongkorn UniversityBangkokThailand
| | | | - Suzie Barker
- Dementia Research CentreUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyUCLLondonUK
| | - Emilie Brotherhood
- Dementia Research CentreUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyUCLLondonUK
| | - Claire Waddington
- Dementia Research CentreUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyUCLLondonUK
| | - Olivia Wood
- Dementia Research CentreUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyUCLLondonUK
| | - Nikki Zimmermann
- Dementia Research CentreUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyUCLLondonUK
| | - Nuriye Kupeli
- Marie Curie Palliative Care Research DepartmentDivision of PsychiatryUCLLondonUK
| | - Keir X. X. Yong
- Dementia Research CentreUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyUCLLondonUK
| | - Paul M. Camic
- Dementia Research CentreUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyUCLLondonUK
| | - Joshua Stott
- Dementia Research CentreUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyUCLLondonUK
- ADAPT LabResearch Department of ClinicalEducational and Health PsychologyUCLLondonUK
| | | | - Neil P. Oxtoby
- Centre for Medical Image ComputingDepartment of Computer ScienceUCLLondonUK
| | - Jonathan D. Rohrer
- Dementia Research CentreUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyUCLLondonUK
| | - Anna Volkmer
- Dementia Research CentreUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyUCLLondonUK
- Psychology and Language Sciences (PALS)UCLLondonUK
| | | | - Jason D. Warren
- Dementia Research CentreUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyUCLLondonUK
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Jiang J, Johnson JCS, Requena-Komuro MC, Benhamou E, Sivasathiaseelan H, Chokesuwattanaskul A, Nelson A, Nortley R, Weil RS, Volkmer A, Marshall CR, Bamiou DE, Warren JD, Hardy CJD. Comprehension of acoustically degraded speech in Alzheimer's disease and primary progressive aphasia. Brain 2023; 146:4065-4076. [PMID: 37184986 PMCID: PMC10545509 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awad163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Successful communication in daily life depends on accurate decoding of speech signals that are acoustically degraded by challenging listening conditions. This process presents the brain with a demanding computational task that is vulnerable to neurodegenerative pathologies. However, despite recent intense interest in the link between hearing impairment and dementia, comprehension of acoustically degraded speech in these diseases has been little studied. Here we addressed this issue in a cohort of 19 patients with typical Alzheimer's disease and 30 patients representing the three canonical syndromes of primary progressive aphasia (non-fluent/agrammatic variant primary progressive aphasia; semantic variant primary progressive aphasia; logopenic variant primary progressive aphasia), compared to 25 healthy age-matched controls. As a paradigm for the acoustically degraded speech signals of daily life, we used noise-vocoding: synthetic division of the speech signal into frequency channels constituted from amplitude-modulated white noise, such that fewer channels convey less spectrotemporal detail thereby reducing intelligibility. We investigated the impact of noise-vocoding on recognition of spoken three-digit numbers and used psychometric modelling to ascertain the threshold number of noise-vocoding channels required for 50% intelligibility by each participant. Associations of noise-vocoded speech intelligibility threshold with general demographic, clinical and neuropsychological characteristics and regional grey matter volume (defined by voxel-based morphometry of patients' brain images) were also assessed. Mean noise-vocoded speech intelligibility threshold was significantly higher in all patient groups than healthy controls, and significantly higher in Alzheimer's disease and logopenic variant primary progressive aphasia than semantic variant primary progressive aphasia (all P < 0.05). In a receiver operating characteristic analysis, vocoded intelligibility threshold discriminated Alzheimer's disease, non-fluent variant and logopenic variant primary progressive aphasia patients very well from healthy controls. Further, this central hearing measure correlated with overall disease severity but not with peripheral hearing or clear speech perception. Neuroanatomically, after correcting for multiple voxel-wise comparisons in predefined regions of interest, impaired noise-vocoded speech comprehension across syndromes was significantly associated (P < 0.05) with atrophy of left planum temporale, angular gyrus and anterior cingulate gyrus: a cortical network that has previously been widely implicated in processing degraded speech signals. Our findings suggest that the comprehension of acoustically altered speech captures an auditory brain process relevant to daily hearing and communication in major dementia syndromes, with novel diagnostic and therapeutic implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Jiang
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, UK
| | - Jeremy C S Johnson
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, UK
| | - Maï-Carmen Requena-Komuro
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, UK
- Kidney Cancer Program, UT Southwestern Medical Centre, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Elia Benhamou
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, UK
| | - Harri Sivasathiaseelan
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, UK
| | - Anthipa Chokesuwattanaskul
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, UK
- Division of Neurology, Department of Internal Medicine, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Annabel Nelson
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, UK
| | - Ross Nortley
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, UK
- Wexham Park Hospital, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, Slough SL2 4HL, UK
| | - Rimona S Weil
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, UK
| | - Anna Volkmer
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London WC1H 0AP, UK
| | - Charles R Marshall
- Preventive Neurology Unit, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London EC1M 6BQ, UK
| | - Doris-Eva Bamiou
- UCL Ear Institute and UCL/UCLH Biomedical Research Centre, National Institute of Health Research, University College London, London WC1X 8EE, UK
| | - Jason D Warren
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, UK
| | - Chris J D Hardy
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, UK
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Hardy CJD, Taylor-Rubin C, Taylor B, Harding E, Gonzalez AS, Jiang J, Thompson L, Kingma R, Chokesuwattanaskul A, Walker F, Barker S, Brotherhood E, Waddington C, Wood O, Zimmermann N, Kupeli N, Yong KXX, Camic PM, Stott J, Marshall CR, Oxtoby NP, Rohrer JD, Volkmer A, Crutch SJ, Warren JD. Symptom-led staging for primary progressive aphasia. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.03.13.23286972. [PMID: 36993460 PMCID: PMC10055437 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.13.23286972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
The primary progressive aphasias (PPA) present complex and diverse challenges of diagnosis, management and prognosis. A clinically-informed, syndromic staging system for PPA would take a substantial step toward meeting these challenges. This study addressed this need using detailed, multi-domain mixed-methods symptom surveys of people with lived experience in a large international PPA cohort. We administered structured online surveys to caregivers of patients with a canonical PPA syndromic variant (nonfluent/agrammatic (nvPPA), semantic (svPPA) or logopenic (lvPPA)). In an 'exploratory' survey, a putative list and ordering of verbal communication and nonverbal functioning (nonverbal thinking, conduct and wellbeing, physical) symptoms was administered to 118 caregiver members of the UK national PPA Support Group. Based on feedback, we expanded the symptom list and created six provisional clinical stages for each PPA subtype. In a 'consolidation' survey, these stages were presented to 110 caregiver members of UK and Australian PPA Support Groups, and refined based on quantitative and qualitative feedback. Symptoms were retained if rated as 'present' by a majority (at least 50%) of respondents representing that PPA syndrome, and assigned to a consolidated stage based on majority consensus; the confidence of assignment was estimated for each symptom as the proportion of respondents in agreement with the final staging for that symptom. Qualitative responses were analysed using framework analysis. For each PPA syndrome, six stages ranging from 1 ('Very mild') to 6 ('Profound') were identified; earliest stages were distinguished by syndromic hallmark symptoms of communication dysfunction, with increasing trans-syndromic convergence and dependency for basic activities of daily living at later stages. Spelling errors, hearing changes and nonverbal behavioural features were reported at early stages in all syndromes. As the illness evolved, swallowing and mobility problems were reported earlier in nfvPPA than other syndromes, while difficulty recognising familiar people and household items characterised svPPA and visuospatial symptoms were more prominent in lvPPA. Overall confidence of symptom staging was higher for svPPA than other syndromes. Across syndromes, functional milestones were identified as key deficits that predict the sequence of major daily life impacts and associated management needs. Qualitatively, we identified five major themes encompassing 15 subthemes capturing respondents' experiences of PPA and suggestions for staging implementation. This work introduces a prototypical, symptom-led staging scheme for canonical PPA syndromes: the PPA Progression Planning Aid (PPA 2 ). Our findings have implications for diagnostic and care pathway guidelines, trial design and personalised prognosis and treatment for people living with these diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris JD Hardy
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK
| | - Cathleen Taylor-Rubin
- Uniting War Memorial Hospital, Sydney, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Beatrice Taylor
- Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Computer Science, UCL, London, UK
| | - Emma Harding
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK
| | - Aida Suarez Gonzalez
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK
| | - Jessica Jiang
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK
| | | | | | - Anthipa Chokesuwattanaskul
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK
- Division of Neurology, Department of Internal Medicine, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok, Thailand
- Cognitive Clinical and Computational Neuroscience Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | - Suzie Barker
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK
| | - Emilie Brotherhood
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK
| | - Claire Waddington
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK
| | - Olivia Wood
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK
| | - Nikki Zimmermann
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK
| | - Nuriye Kupeli
- Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Department, Division of Psychiatry, UCL, London, UK
| | - Keir XX Yong
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK
| | - Paul M Camic
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK
| | - Josh Stott
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK
- ADAPTlab, Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, UCL, London, UK
| | | | - Neil P. Oxtoby
- Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Computer Science, UCL, London, UK
| | - Jonathan D Rohrer
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK
| | - Anna Volkmer
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK
- Psychology and Language Sciences (PALS), UCL, London, UK
| | - Sebastian J Crutch
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK
| | - Jason D Warren
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK
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Spinosa V, Vitulli A, Logroscino G, Brattico E. A Review on Music Interventions for Frontotemporal Aphasia and a Proposal for Alternative Treatments. Biomedicines 2022; 11:biomedicines11010084. [PMID: 36672592 PMCID: PMC9855720 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11010084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Revised: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a rare neurodegenerative disease, characterized by behavioral and language impairments. Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is the linguistic variant of this heterogeneous disorder. To date, there is a lack of consensus about which interventions are effective in these patients. However, several studies show that music-based interventions are beneficial in neurological diseases. This study aims, primarily, to establish the state of the art of music-based interventions designed for PPA due to FTD and, secondarily, to inform the planning of PPA-dedicated future interventions for Italian neurological institutions. The first aim is fulfilled by a review which critically screens the neurological studies examining the effects of music- and/or rhythm-based interventions, especially, on language rehabilitation in aphasic FTD. We found that only two papers fulfilled our criteria and concerned specifically aphasic patients due to FTD. Of those, one paper reported a study conducted in an Italian institution. Most of the reviewed studies focused, instead, on aphasia in post-stroke patients. The results of our review invite further studies to investigate the role of music as a valuable support in the therapy for neurodegenerative patients with language problems and in particular to PPA due to FTD. Moreover, based on this initial work, we can delineate new music-based interventions dedicated to PPA for Italian institutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vittoria Spinosa
- Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases and the Aging Brain, Department of Clinical Research in Neurology, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Pia Fondazione Cardinale G. Panico, 73039 Tricase, Italy
- Department of Basic Medicine, Neuroscience, and Sense Organs, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, 70121 Bari, Italy
| | - Alessandra Vitulli
- Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases and the Aging Brain, Department of Clinical Research in Neurology, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Pia Fondazione Cardinale G. Panico, 73039 Tricase, Italy
| | - Giancarlo Logroscino
- Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases and the Aging Brain, Department of Clinical Research in Neurology, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Pia Fondazione Cardinale G. Panico, 73039 Tricase, Italy
- Department of Basic Medicine, Neuroscience, and Sense Organs, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, 70121 Bari, Italy
| | - Elvira Brattico
- Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Education, Psychology, Communication, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, 70121 Bari, Italy
- Correspondence:
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7
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Bruffaerts R, Schaeverbeke J, Radwan A, Grube M, Gabel S, De Weer AS, Dries E, Van Bouwel K, Griffiths TD, Sunaert S, Vandenberghe R. Left Frontal White Matter Links to Rhythm Processing Relevant to Speech Production in Apraxia of Speech. NEUROBIOLOGY OF LANGUAGE (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2022; 3:515-537. [PMID: 37215340 PMCID: PMC10158569 DOI: 10.1162/nol_a_00075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2022] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Recent mechanistic models argue for a key role of rhythm processing in both speech production and speech perception. Patients with the non-fluent variant (NFV) of primary progressive aphasia (PPA) with apraxia of speech (AOS) represent a specific study population in which this link can be examined. Previously, we observed impaired rhythm processing in NFV with AOS. We hypothesized that a shared neurocomputational mechanism structures auditory input (sound and speech) and output (speech production) in time, a "temporal scaffolding" mechanism. Since considerable white matter damage is observed in NFV, we test here whether white matter changes are related to impaired rhythm processing. Forty-seven participants performed a psychoacoustic test battery: 12 patients with NFV and AOS, 11 patients with the semantic variant of PPA, and 24 cognitively intact age- and education-matched controls. Deformation-based morphometry was used to test whether white matter volume correlated to rhythmic abilities. In 34 participants, we also obtained tract-based metrics of the left Aslant tract, which is typically damaged in patients with NFV. Nine out of 12 patients with NFV displayed impaired rhythmic processing. Left frontal white matter atrophy adjacent to the supplementary motor area (SMA) correlated with poorer rhythmic abilities. The structural integrity of the left Aslant tract also correlated with rhythmic abilities. A colocalized and perhaps shared white matter substrate adjacent to the SMA is associated with impaired rhythmic processing and motor speech impairment. Our results support the existence of a temporal scaffolding mechanism structuring perceptual input and speech output.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rose Bruffaerts
- Laboratory for Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurosciences & Leuven Brain Institute, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Neurology Department, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Computational Neurology, Experimental Neurobiology Unit (ENU), Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- Biomedical Research Institute, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Jolien Schaeverbeke
- Laboratory for Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurosciences & Leuven Brain Institute, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ahmed Radwan
- Translational MRI, Department of Imaging and Pathology & Leuven Brain Institute, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Manon Grube
- Biosciences Institute, Medical School, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK
- BIFOLD, Technische Universität Berlin, Germany; Department of Psychology, Ashoka University, India
| | - Silvy Gabel
- Laboratory for Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurosciences & Leuven Brain Institute, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - An-Sofie De Weer
- Neurology Department, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Eva Dries
- Neurology Department, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Karen Van Bouwel
- Neurology Department, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Timothy D. Griffiths
- Biosciences Institute, Medical School, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK
| | - Stefan Sunaert
- Translational MRI, Department of Imaging and Pathology & Leuven Brain Institute, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Radiology Department, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Rik Vandenberghe
- Laboratory for Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurosciences & Leuven Brain Institute, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Neurology Department, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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8
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Lukic S, Licata AE, Weis E, Bogley R, Ratnasiri B, Welch AE, Hinkley LBN, Miller Z, Garcia AM, Houde JF, Nagarajan SS, Gorno-Tempini ML, Borghesani V. Auditory Verb Generation Performance Patterns Dissociate Variants of Primary Progressive Aphasia. Front Psychol 2022; 13:887591. [PMID: 35814055 PMCID: PMC9267767 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.887591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a clinical syndrome in which patients progressively lose speech and language abilities. Three variants are recognized: logopenic (lvPPA), associated with phonology and/or short-term verbal memory deficits accompanied by left temporo-parietal atrophy; semantic (svPPA), associated with semantic deficits and anterior temporal lobe (ATL) atrophy; non-fluent (nfvPPA) associated with grammar and/or speech-motor deficits and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) atrophy. Here, we set out to investigate whether the three variants of PPA can be dissociated based on error patterns in a single language task. We recruited 21 lvPPA, 28 svPPA, and 24 nfvPPA patients, together with 31 healthy controls, and analyzed their performance on an auditory noun-to-verb generation task, which requires auditory analysis of the input, access to and selection of relevant lexical and semantic knowledge, as well as preparation and execution of speech. Task accuracy differed across the three variants and controls, with lvPPA and nfvPPA having the lowest and highest accuracy, respectively. Critically, machine learning analysis of the different error types yielded above-chance classification of patients into their corresponding group. An analysis of the error types revealed clear variant-specific effects: lvPPA patients produced the highest percentage of "not-a-verb" responses and the highest number of semantically related nouns (production of baseball instead of throw to noun ball); in contrast, svPPA patients produced the highest percentage of "unrelated verb" responses and the highest number of light verbs (production of take instead of throw to noun ball). Taken together, our findings indicate that error patterns in an auditory verb generation task are associated with the breakdown of different neurocognitive mechanisms across PPA variants. Specifically, they corroborate the link between temporo-parietal regions with lexical processing, as well as ATL with semantic processes. These findings illustrate how the analysis of pattern of responses can help PPA phenotyping and heighten diagnostic sensitivity, while providing insights on the neural correlates of different components of language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sladjana Lukic
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Ruth S. Ammon College of Education and Health Sciences, Adelphi University, Garden City, NY, United States
- Department of Neurology, Memory and Aging Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Abigail E. Licata
- Department of Neurology, Memory and Aging Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Department of Neurology, Dyslexia Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Elizabeth Weis
- Department of Neurology, Memory and Aging Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Rian Bogley
- Department of Neurology, Memory and Aging Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Department of Neurology, Dyslexia Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Buddhika Ratnasiri
- Department of Neurology, Memory and Aging Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Ariane E. Welch
- Department of Neurology, Memory and Aging Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Leighton B. N. Hinkley
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Z. Miller
- Department of Neurology, Memory and Aging Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Department of Neurology, Dyslexia Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Adolfo M. Garcia
- Cognitive Neuroscience Center, Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Global Brain Health Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Departamento de Lingüística y Literatura, Facultad de Humanidades, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - John F. Houde
- Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Srikantan S. Nagarajan
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Maria Luisa Gorno-Tempini
- Department of Neurology, Memory and Aging Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Department of Neurology, Dyslexia Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Valentina Borghesani
- Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Centre de Recherche de l’Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
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9
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González R, Rojas M, Rosselli M, Ardila A. Linguistic profiles of variants of primary progressive aphasia. JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION DISORDERS 2022; 97:106202. [PMID: 35255297 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2022.106202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Several subtypes of primary progressive aphasia (PPA) have been proposed. Most reports use small samples, and few have included Spanish-speaking participants. AIM To analyze the language profile and nonlinguistic deficits in a large sample of PPA Spanish monolingual participants. METHOD 177 individuals were diagnosed with PPA in a sample consisting of 69 men and 108 women (Mage = 66.40 years, SD = 9.30). The participants were assessed using the Spanish versions of the Western Aphasia Battery Revised (SWAB-R) and the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination (SBDAE). Non-verbal reasoning was evaluated with the Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices. RESULTS 41.8% of the sample met the criteria for the logopenic variant (lvPPA), while 28.2% met the criteria for semantic (svPPA), 15.3% for lexical (lxvPPA), and 14.7% for nonfluent/agrammatic (nfvPPA) variants. Language difficulties were similar in all variants except for lxvPPA. Scores on Spontaneous Language, Auditory Comprehension, Repetition, and Naming were significantly higher for the lxvPPA group. Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices scores were significantly lower in lvPPA. Years of education correlated with all test scores, while age was negatively associated with naming. When the PPA variants were classified according to the traditional aphasia classification, discrepancies were evident. Furthermore, the most frequent type of aphasia was Amnesic, while the least frequent was Wernicke's aphasia. CONCLUSION The SWAB-R is useful in describing the clinical characteristics of aphasia for each variant of PPA, but quantitative scores from this battery are not capable of distinguishing between variants of PPA, with the exception of lxvPPA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael González
- Departamento de Neurología y Neurocirugía, Hospital Clínico de la Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Macarena Rojas
- Departamento de Neurología y Neurocirugía, Hospital Clínico de la Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Mónica Rosselli
- Department of Psychology, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Florida Atlantic University, Davie, Florida, USA.
| | - Alfredo Ardila
- Institute of Linguistics and Intercultural Communication, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia; Psychology Doctoral Program, Albizu University, Miami, Florida, USA
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10
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Powell DS, Oh ES, Reed NS, Lin FR, Deal JA. Hearing Loss and Cognition: What We Know and Where We Need to Go. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 13:769405. [PMID: 35295208 PMCID: PMC8920093 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.769405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Although a causal association remains to be determined, epidemiologic evidence suggests an association between hearing loss and increased risk of dementia. If we determine the association is causal, opportunity for targeted intervention for hearing loss may play a fundamental role in dementia prevention. In this discussion, we summarize current research on the association between hearing loss and dementia and review potential casual mechanisms behind the association (e.g., sensory-deprivation hypothesis, information-degradation hypothesis, common cause). We emphasize key areas of research which might best inform our investigation of this potential casual association. These selected research priorities include examination of the causal mechanism, measurement of co-existing hearing loss and cognitive impairment and determination of any bias in testing, potential for managing hearing loss for prevention of dementia and cognitive decline, or the potential to reduce dementia-related symptoms through the management of hearing loss. Addressing these research gaps and how results are then translated for clinical use may prove paramount for dementia prevention, management, and overall health of older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle S Powell
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Esther S Oh
- Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Nicholas S Reed
- Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Department of Otolaryngology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Frank R Lin
- Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Department of Otolaryngology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Jennifer A Deal
- Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Department of Otolaryngology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
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11
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Schaffer KM, Wauters L, Berstis K, Grasso SM, Henry ML. Modified script training for nonfluent/agrammatic primary progressive aphasia with significant hearing loss: A single-case experimental design. Neuropsychol Rehabil 2022; 32:306-335. [PMID: 33023372 PMCID: PMC8252664 DOI: 10.1080/09602011.2020.1822188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Speech-language pathology caseloads often include individuals with hearing loss and a coexisting neurogenic communication disorder. However, specific treatment techniques and modifications designed to accommodate this population are understudied. Using a single-case experimental design, the current study investigated the utility of modified Video Implemented Script Training for Aphasia (VISTA) for an individual with nonfluent/agrammatic variant primary progressive aphasia and severe-to-profound, bilateral hearing loss. We analyzed the impact of this intervention, which incorporates orthographic input and rehearsal, on script production accuracy, speech intelligibility, grammatical complexity, mean length of utterance, and speech rate. Treatment resulted in comparable positive outcomes relative to a previous study evaluating script training in nonfluent/agrammatic primary progressive aphasia patients with functional hearing. Follow-up data obtained at three months, six months, and one year post-treatment confirmed maintenance of treatment effects for trained scripts. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate a modified speech-language intervention tailored to the needs of an individual with PPA and hearing loss, with findings confirming that simple treatment modifications may serve to broaden the range of treatment options available to those with concomitant sensory and communication impairments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin M. Schaffer
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, The University of Texas, Austin
| | - Lisa Wauters
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, The University of Texas, Austin
| | - Karinne Berstis
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, The University of Texas, Austin
| | - Stephanie M. Grasso
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, The University of Texas, Austin
| | - Maya L. Henry
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, The University of Texas, Austin
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12
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Borghesani V, DeLeon J, Gorno-Tempini ML. Frontotemporal dementia: A unique window on the functional role of the temporal lobes. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2022; 187:429-448. [PMID: 35964986 PMCID: PMC9793689 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-823493-8.00011-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is an umbrella term covering a plethora of progressive changes in executive functions, motor abilities, behavior, and/or language. Different clinical syndromes have been described in relation to localized atrophy, informing on the functional networks that underlie these specific cognitive, emotional, and behavioral processes. These functional declines are linked with the underlying neurodegeneration of frontal and/or temporal lobes due to diverse molecular pathologies. Initially, the accumulation of misfolded proteins targets specifically susceptible cell assemblies, leading to relatively focal neurodegeneration that later spreads throughout large-scale cortical networks. Here, we discuss the most recent clinical, neuropathological, imaging, and genetics findings in FTD-spectrum syndromes affecting the temporal lobe. We focus on the semantic variant of primary progressive aphasia and its mirror image, the right temporal variant of FTD. Incipient focal atrophy of the left anterior temporal lobe (ATL) manifests with predominant naming, word comprehension, reading, and object semantic deficits, while cases of predominantly right ATL atrophy present with impairments of socioemotional, nonverbal semantic, and person-specific knowledge. Overall, the observations in FTD allow for crucial clinical-anatomic inferences, shedding light on the role of the temporal lobes in both cognition and complex behaviors. The concerted activity of both ATLs is critical to ensure that percepts are translated into concepts, yet important hemispheric differences should be acknowledged. On one hand, the left ATL attributes meaning to linguistic, external stimuli, thus supporting goal-oriented, action-related behaviors (e.g., integrating sounds and letters into words). On the other hand, the right ATL assigns meaning to emotional, visceral stimuli, thus guiding socially relevant behaviors (e.g., integrating body sensations into feelings of familiarity).
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Borghesani
- Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada; Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
| | - Jessica DeLeon
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States; Department of Neurology, Dyslexia Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Maria Luisa Gorno-Tempini
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States; Department of Neurology, Dyslexia Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States
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13
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Macoir J, Tremblay MP, Wilson MA, Laforce R, Hudon C. The Importance of Being Familiar: The Role of Semantic Knowledge in the Activation of Emotions and Factual Knowledge from Music in the Semantic Variant of Primary Progressive Aphasia. J Alzheimers Dis 2021; 85:115-128. [PMID: 34776446 DOI: 10.3233/jad-215083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The role of semantic knowledge in emotion recognition remains poorly understood. The semantic variant of primary progressive aphasia (svPPA) is a degenerative disorder characterized by progressive loss of semantic knowledge, while other cognitive abilities remain spared, at least in the early stages of the disease. The syndrome is therefore a reliable clinical model of semantic impairment allowing for testing the propositions made in theoretical models of emotion recognition. OBJECTIVE The main goal of this study was to investigate the role of semantic memory in the recognition of basic emotions conveyed by music in individuals with svPPA. METHODS The performance of 9 individuals with svPPA was compared to that of 32 control participants in tasks designed to investigate the ability: a) to differentiate between familiar and non-familiar musical excerpts, b) to associate semantic concepts to musical excerpts, and c) to recognize basic emotions conveyed by music. RESULTS Results revealed that individuals with svPPA showed preserved abilities to recognize familiar musical excerpts but impaired performance on the two other tasks. Moreover, recognition of basic emotions and association of musical excerpts with semantic concepts was significantly better for familiar than non-familiar musical excerpts in participants with svPPA. CONCLUSION Results of this study have important implications for theoretical models of emotion recognition and music processing. They suggest that impairment of semantic memory in svPPA affects both the activation of emotions and factual knowledge from music and that this impairment is modulated by familiarity with musical tunes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joël Macoir
- Département de Réadaptation, Faculté de Médecine, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada.,Centre de recherche CERVO - Brain Research Centre, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Marie-Pier Tremblay
- Centre de recherche CERVO - Brain Research Centre, Québec, QC, Canada.,École de Psychologie, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Maximiliano A Wilson
- Département de Réadaptation, Faculté de Médecine, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada.,Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche en Réadaptation et Intégration Sociale (CIRRIS), Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Robert Laforce
- Clinique Interdisciplinaire de Mémoire (CIME) du CHU de Québec, Département des sciences neurologiques, Québec, QC, Canada.,Département de Médecine, Faculté de Médecine, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada.,Research Chair on Primary Progressive Aphasia - Fondation Famille Lemaire, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Carol Hudon
- Centre de recherche CERVO - Brain Research Centre, Québec, QC, Canada.,École de Psychologie, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
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14
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Stalpaert J, Cocquyt EM, Miatton M, Sieben A, Van Langenhove T, van Mierlo P, De Letter M. A case series of verbal semantic processing in primary progressive aphasia: Evidence from the N400 effect. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LANGUAGE & COMMUNICATION DISORDERS 2021; 56:1165-1189. [PMID: 34357662 DOI: 10.1111/1460-6984.12658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Revised: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The semantic variant of primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is typically associated with a loss of semantic knowledge. Research on the semantic processing in the other clinical variants of PPA is, however, rather sparse and limited to off-line behavioural studies. AIMS This study aimed to investigate verbal semantic processing in patients with the three variants of PPA by the event-related potential technique. The presence, latency, amplitude and/or topographic distribution of the N400 effect may be helpful in the diagnosis of PPA and its clinical variants and it provides temporal information about semantic processing (disturbances) in the three variants of PPA. METHODS & PROCEDURES The N400 effect was studied by a categorical word-priming paradigm and a semantic-anomaly paradigm at sentence level in eight persons with PPA(-plus) and 30 age-matched healthy controls. The mean amplitudes and onset latencies of the N400 effect were compared between each patient and the control group by two methods that are applicable in clinical practice, namely visual inspection and Z-scores. OUTCOMES & RESULTS The N400 effect elicited by the categorical-priming paradigm was only present in the two patients with the non-fluent variant of PPA. This effect was absent in the two patients with the semantic variant(-plus), two patients with the logopenic variant(-plus), one patient with the non-fluent variant-plus, and the patient with PPA not otherwise specified. The results of the N400 effect elicited by the semantic-anomaly task at the sentence level were variable, but differences in the presence, mean amplitudes, onset latencies and/or topographic distributions of the effect were found in all patients with PPA(-plus) in comparison with the control group. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS The results of our study showed that the evaluation of the N400 effect might have an added value in the diagnostic process of PPA in general and in the differentiation of patients with the non-fluent variant from patients with the logopenic and semantic variants. Furthermore, our results indicate the presence of difficulties with retrieving stored semantic knowledge or semantic integration of a word in the preceding context in patients with the three variants of PPA. These findings might help the speech-language pathologist in determining individualized therapy goals and indicate that it might be helpful to focus on verbal semantic processing in language therapy in patients with the three variants of PPA and not only in patients with the semantic variant. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS What is already known on the subject The semantic variant of PPA is characterized by an impaired object knowledge and single-word comprehension and these functions are relatively spared in the non-fluent and logopenic variants following the guidelines of Gorno-Tempini et al. (2011). Research on the semantic processing in patients with the non-fluent and logopenic variant is, however, rather sparse and limited to off-line behavioural studies. Only four group studies investigated verbal semantic processing by the N400 effect, and these studies indicate disturbances in the three variants of PPA. What this paper adds to existing knowledge Our results indicate the presence of difficulties with retrieving stored semantic knowledge or semantic integration of a word in the preceding context during a semantic-priming paradigm in patients with the semantic and logopenic variants of PPA and during a semantic-anomaly task at the sentence level in patients with the three variants of PPA. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? The results of our study showed that the evaluation of the N400 effect might have an added value in the diagnostic process of PPA in general and in the differentiation of patients with the non-fluent variant from patients with the logopenic and semantic variants. The evaluation of the N400 effect might also help the speech-language pathologist in determining individualized therapy goals and indicate that it might be helpful to focus on verbal semantic processing in language therapy in patients with the three variants of PPA and not only in patients with the semantic variant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jara Stalpaert
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Marijke Miatton
- Department of Neurology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Anne Sieben
- Department of Neurology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Pieter van Mierlo
- Medical Image and Signal Processing Group, Department of Electronics and Information Systems, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Miet De Letter
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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15
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Sivasathiaseelan H, Marshall CR, Benhamou E, van Leeuwen JEP, Bond RL, Russell LL, Greaves C, Moore KM, Hardy CJD, Frost C, Rohrer JD, Scott SK, Warren JD. Laughter as a paradigm of socio-emotional signal processing in dementia. Cortex 2021; 142:186-203. [PMID: 34273798 PMCID: PMC8438290 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.05.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2020] [Revised: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Laughter is a fundamental communicative signal in our relations with other people and is used to convey a diverse repertoire of social and emotional information. It is therefore potentially a useful probe of impaired socio-emotional signal processing in neurodegenerative diseases. Here we investigated the cognitive and affective processing of laughter in forty-seven patients representing all major syndromes of frontotemporal dementia, a disease spectrum characterised by severe socio-emotional dysfunction (twenty-two with behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia, twelve with semantic variant primary progressive aphasia, thirteen with nonfluent-agrammatic variant primary progressive aphasia), in relation to fifteen patients with typical amnestic Alzheimer's disease and twenty healthy age-matched individuals. We assessed cognitive labelling (identification) and valence rating (affective evaluation) of samples of spontaneous (mirthful and hostile) and volitional (posed) laughter versus two auditory control conditions (a synthetic laughter-like stimulus and spoken numbers). Neuroanatomical associations of laughter processing were assessed using voxel-based morphometry of patients' brain MR images. While all dementia syndromes were associated with impaired identification of laughter subtypes relative to healthy controls, this was significantly more severe overall in frontotemporal dementia than in Alzheimer's disease and particularly in the behavioural and semantic variants, which also showed abnormal affective evaluation of laughter. Over the patient cohort, laughter identification accuracy was correlated with measures of daily-life socio-emotional functioning. Certain striking syndromic signatures emerged, including enhanced liking for hostile laughter in behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia, impaired processing of synthetic laughter in the nonfluent-agrammatic variant (consistent with a generic complex auditory perceptual deficit) and enhanced liking for numbers ('numerophilia') in the semantic variant. Across the patient cohort, overall laughter identification accuracy correlated with regional grey matter in a core network encompassing inferior frontal and cingulo-insular cortices; and more specific correlates of laughter identification accuracy were delineated in cortical regions mediating affective disambiguation (identification of hostile and posed laughter in orbitofrontal cortex) and authenticity (social intent) decoding (identification of mirthful and posed laughter in anteromedial prefrontal cortex) (all p < .05 after correction for multiple voxel-wise comparisons over the whole brain). These findings reveal a rich diversity of cognitive and affective laughter phenotypes in canonical dementia syndromes and suggest that laughter is an informative probe of neural mechanisms underpinning socio-emotional dysfunction in neurodegenerative disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harri Sivasathiaseelan
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Charles R Marshall
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Preventive Neurology Unit, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Elia Benhamou
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Janneke E P van Leeuwen
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rebecca L Bond
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Lucy L Russell
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Caroline Greaves
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Katrina M Moore
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Chris J D Hardy
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Chris Frost
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Department of Medical Statistics, Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan D Rohrer
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sophie K Scott
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jason D Warren
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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16
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Benhamou E, Zhao S, Sivasathiaseelan H, Johnson JCS, Requena-Komuro MC, Bond RL, van Leeuwen JEP, Russell LL, Greaves CV, Nelson A, Nicholas JM, Hardy CJD, Rohrer JD, Warren JD. Decoding expectation and surprise in dementia: the paradigm of music. Brain Commun 2021; 3:fcab173. [PMID: 34423301 PMCID: PMC8376684 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcab173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Making predictions about the world and responding appropriately to unexpected events are essential functions of the healthy brain. In neurodegenerative disorders, such as frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease, impaired processing of 'surprise' may underpin a diverse array of symptoms, particularly abnormalities of social and emotional behaviour, but is challenging to characterize. Here, we addressed this issue using a novel paradigm: music. We studied 62 patients (24 female; aged 53-88) representing major syndromes of frontotemporal dementia (behavioural variant, semantic variant primary progressive aphasia, non-fluent-agrammatic variant primary progressive aphasia) and typical amnestic Alzheimer's disease, in relation to 33 healthy controls (18 female; aged 54-78). Participants heard famous melodies containing no deviants or one of three types of deviant note-acoustic (white-noise burst), syntactic (key-violating pitch change) or semantic (key-preserving pitch change). Using a regression model that took elementary perceptual, executive and musical competence into account, we assessed accuracy detecting melodic deviants and simultaneously recorded pupillary responses and related these to deviant surprise value (information-content) and carrier melody predictability (entropy), calculated using an unsupervised machine learning model of music. Neuroanatomical associations of deviant detection accuracy and coupling of detection to deviant surprise value were assessed using voxel-based morphometry of patients' brain MRI. Whereas Alzheimer's disease was associated with normal deviant detection accuracy, behavioural and semantic variant frontotemporal dementia syndromes were associated with strikingly similar profiles of impaired syntactic and semantic deviant detection accuracy and impaired behavioural and autonomic sensitivity to deviant information-content (all P < 0.05). On the other hand, non-fluent-agrammatic primary progressive aphasia was associated with generalized impairment of deviant discriminability (P < 0.05) due to excessive false-alarms, despite retained behavioural and autonomic sensitivity to deviant information-content and melody predictability. Across the patient cohort, grey matter correlates of acoustic deviant detection accuracy were identified in precuneus, mid and mesial temporal regions; correlates of syntactic deviant detection accuracy and information-content processing, in inferior frontal and anterior temporal cortices, putamen and nucleus accumbens; and a common correlate of musical salience coding in supplementary motor area (all P < 0.05, corrected for multiple comparisons in pre-specified regions of interest). Our findings suggest that major dementias have distinct profiles of sensory 'surprise' processing, as instantiated in music. Music may be a useful and informative paradigm for probing the predictive decoding of complex sensory environments in neurodegenerative proteinopathies, with implications for understanding and measuring the core pathophysiology of these diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elia Benhamou
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, UK
| | - Sijia Zhao
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK
| | - Harri Sivasathiaseelan
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, UK
| | - Jeremy C S Johnson
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, UK
| | - Maï-Carmen Requena-Komuro
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, UK
| | - Rebecca L Bond
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, UK
| | - Janneke E P van Leeuwen
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, UK
| | - Lucy L Russell
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, UK
| | - Caroline V Greaves
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, UK
| | - Annabel Nelson
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, UK
| | - Jennifer M Nicholas
- Department of Medical Statistics, Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Chris J D Hardy
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, UK
| | - Jonathan D Rohrer
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, UK
| | - Jason D Warren
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, UK
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17
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Stalpaert J, Miatton M, Sieben A, Van Langenhove T, van Mierlo P, De Letter M. The Electrophysiological Correlates of Phoneme Perception in Primary Progressive Aphasia: A Preliminary Case Series. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:618549. [PMID: 34149376 PMCID: PMC8206281 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.618549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Aims: This study aimed to investigate phoneme perception in patients with primary progressive aphasia (PPA) by using the event-related potential (ERP) technique. These ERP components might contribute to the diagnostic process of PPA and its clinical variants (NFV: nonfluent variant, SV: semantic variant, LV: logopenic variant) and reveal insights about phoneme perception processes in these patients. Method: Phoneme discrimination and categorization processes were investigated by the mismatch negativity (MMN) and P300 in eight persons with early- and late-stage PPA (3 NFV, 2 LV, 2 SV, and 1 PPA-NOS; not otherwise specified) and 30 age-matched healthy adults. The mean amplitude, the onset latency, and the topographic distribution of both components in each patient were compared to the results of the control group. Results: The MMN was absent or the onset latency of the MMN was delayed in the patients with the NFV, LV, and PPA-NOS in comparison to the control group. In contrast, no differences in mean amplitudes and onset latencies of the MMN were found between the patients with the SV and the control group. Concerning the P300, variable results were found in the patients with the NFV, SV, and PPA-NOS, but the P300 of both patients with the LV was delayed and prolonged with increased mean amplitude in comparison to the control group. Conclusion: In this preliminary study, phoneme discrimination deficits were found in the patients with the NFV and LV, and variable deficits in phoneme categorization processes were found in all patients with PPA. In clinical practice, the MMN might be valuable to differentiate the SV from the NFV and the LV and the P300 to differentiate the LV from the NFV and the SV. Further research in larger and independent patient groups is required to investigate the applicability of these components in the diagnostic process and to determine the nature of these speech perception deficits in the clinical variants of PPA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jara Stalpaert
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Marijke Miatton
- Department of Neurology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Anne Sieben
- Department of Neurology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Pieter van Mierlo
- Department of Electronics and Information Systems, Medical Image and Signal Processing Group, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Miet De Letter
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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18
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Semantic memory impairment in dementia: A cross-cultural adaptation study. Neurol Sci 2021; 43:265-273. [PMID: 33966130 DOI: 10.1007/s10072-021-05272-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Accepted: 04/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Semantic memory deficits are frequently encountered in dementia and distinct patterns of semantic impairment characterize the subtypes of dementia. Life course and cultural experiences significantly influence semantic memory. Hence, there is a need to assess semantic memory using culturally appropriate tests, to aid accurate diagnosis of dementia and facilitate cross-cultural collaborative research. AIMS In this prospective study, we adapted and validated the Cambridge Semantic Memory (CSM) test battery to the Indian cultural context and studied the patterns of semantic memory impairment across dementia subtypes. METHODS The CSM battery was modified using standard methods and by incorporating culturally appropriate changes and new semantic categories relevant to India. The adapted Indian Semantic Memory (ISM) test battery was administered to a cohort of 121 subjects, consisting of controls and dementia: Alzheimer's disease (AD), progressive non-fluent aphasia (PNFA), semantic dementia (SD), and behavioral variant fronto-temporal dementia (BvFTD). Profile of semantic memory performance across groups was examined. RESULTS The ISM battery was found to be a valid measure of semantic memory. The novel semantic categories of gods/religious icons, vegetables, and food items added value to the diagnostic process. Distinct semantic memory profiles in SD, PNFA, AD, and BvFTD were demonstrated. CONCLUSIONS The cultural adaptation of a semantic memory battery for the Indian context provided sensitive evidence of semantic memory impairment in dementia and its subtypes. The clinical and research application of the ISM battery will enhance diagnostic evaluation that can aid in early and accurate identification of deficits and devising intervention strategies and enable research across cultures.
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19
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Coebergh JAF, McDowell S, van Woerkom TCAM, Koopman JP, Mulder J, Bruijn SFTM. Auditory Agnosia for Environmental Sounds in Alzheimer's Disease: Not Hearing and Not Listening? J Alzheimers Dis 2021; 73:1407-1419. [PMID: 31958091 DOI: 10.3233/jad-190431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Auditory agnosia for environmental sounds (AES) is an example of central auditory dysfunction. It is presumed to be independent of language deficits and in presence of normal hearing. We undertook a detailed neuropsychological assessment including environmental sound naming and recognition in 34 clinically mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and 29 age-matched healthy control subjects. In patients with AD, audiometry was performed to assess the impact on test performance, and in normal controls the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly - Screening Version to exclude more than mild hearing loss. We adapted a validated environmental sound battery and found near perfect scores in controls. We found that environmental sound agnosia is common in mild AD. We found a statistically significant difference in mean pure tone audiometry in the best ear between patients with and those patients without naming deficits of 11.3 dB (p = 0.010) and of 14.7 dB (p = 0.000) between those with and without recognition deficits. Statistical significance remained after correcting for age, aphasia, Mini-Mental State Examination score, and working memory. Slight and moderate peripheral hearing loss increases the odds ratio of recognition deficits by 13.75 (confidence interval 2.3-81.5) compared to normal hearing patients. We did not find evidence for different forms of AES. This work suggests that an interaction between peripheral hearing loss and AD pathology produces problems with environmental sound recognition. It confirms that the relationship between hearing and dementia is complex but also suggests that interventions to prevent and treat hearing loss could have an effect on AD in its clinical expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan A F Coebergh
- Department of Neurology, HagaHospital, The Hague, The Netherlands.,Department of Neurology, Ashford and St. Peter's Hospital, Chertsey, United Kingdom.,Department of Neurology, St. George's Hospital, Tooting, United Kingdom
| | - Steven McDowell
- Department of Neurology, HagaHospital, The Hague, The Netherlands
| | | | - Jan P Koopman
- Department of Ear, Nose and Throat Surgery, HagaHospital, The Hague, The Netherlands
| | - Jacqueline Mulder
- Department of Neuropsychology, HagaHospital, The Hague, The Netherlands
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20
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Jiang J, Benhamou E, Waters S, Johnson JCS, Volkmer A, Weil RS, Marshall CR, Warren JD, Hardy CJD. Processing of Degraded Speech in Brain Disorders. Brain Sci 2021; 11:394. [PMID: 33804653 PMCID: PMC8003678 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11030394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The speech we hear every day is typically "degraded" by competing sounds and the idiosyncratic vocal characteristics of individual speakers. While the comprehension of "degraded" speech is normally automatic, it depends on dynamic and adaptive processing across distributed neural networks. This presents the brain with an immense computational challenge, making degraded speech processing vulnerable to a range of brain disorders. Therefore, it is likely to be a sensitive marker of neural circuit dysfunction and an index of retained neural plasticity. Considering experimental methods for studying degraded speech and factors that affect its processing in healthy individuals, we review the evidence for altered degraded speech processing in major neurodegenerative diseases, traumatic brain injury and stroke. We develop a predictive coding framework for understanding deficits of degraded speech processing in these disorders, focussing on the "language-led dementias"-the primary progressive aphasias. We conclude by considering prospects for using degraded speech as a probe of language network pathophysiology, a diagnostic tool and a target for therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Jiang
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, UK; (J.J.); (E.B.); (J.C.S.J.); (R.S.W.); (C.R.M.); (J.D.W.)
| | - Elia Benhamou
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, UK; (J.J.); (E.B.); (J.C.S.J.); (R.S.W.); (C.R.M.); (J.D.W.)
| | - Sheena Waters
- Preventive Neurology Unit, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, London EC1M 6BQ, UK;
| | - Jeremy C. S. Johnson
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, UK; (J.J.); (E.B.); (J.C.S.J.); (R.S.W.); (C.R.M.); (J.D.W.)
| | - Anna Volkmer
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London WC1H 0AP, UK;
| | - Rimona S. Weil
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, UK; (J.J.); (E.B.); (J.C.S.J.); (R.S.W.); (C.R.M.); (J.D.W.)
| | - Charles R. Marshall
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, UK; (J.J.); (E.B.); (J.C.S.J.); (R.S.W.); (C.R.M.); (J.D.W.)
- Preventive Neurology Unit, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, London EC1M 6BQ, UK;
| | - Jason D. Warren
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, UK; (J.J.); (E.B.); (J.C.S.J.); (R.S.W.); (C.R.M.); (J.D.W.)
| | - Chris J. D. Hardy
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, UK; (J.J.); (E.B.); (J.C.S.J.); (R.S.W.); (C.R.M.); (J.D.W.)
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21
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Johnson JCS, Marshall CR, Weil RS, Bamiou DE, Hardy CJD, Warren JD. Hearing and dementia: from ears to brain. Brain 2021; 144:391-401. [PMID: 33351095 PMCID: PMC7940169 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awaa429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Revised: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The association between hearing impairment and dementia has emerged as a major public health challenge, with significant opportunities for earlier diagnosis, treatment and prevention. However, the nature of this association has not been defined. We hear with our brains, particularly within the complex soundscapes of everyday life: neurodegenerative pathologies target the auditory brain, and are therefore predicted to damage hearing function early and profoundly. Here we present evidence for this proposition, based on structural and functional features of auditory brain organization that confer vulnerability to neurodegeneration, the extensive, reciprocal interplay between 'peripheral' and 'central' hearing dysfunction, and recently characterized auditory signatures of canonical neurodegenerative dementias (Alzheimer's disease, Lewy body disease and frontotemporal dementia). Moving beyond any simple dichotomy of ear and brain, we argue for a reappraisal of the role of auditory cognitive dysfunction and the critical coupling of brain to peripheral organs of hearing in the dementias. We call for a clinical assessment of real-world hearing in these diseases that moves beyond pure tone perception to the development of novel auditory 'cognitive stress tests' and proximity markers for the early diagnosis of dementia and management strategies that harness retained auditory plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy C S Johnson
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Charles R Marshall
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
- Preventive Neurology Unit, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Rimona S Weil
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
- Movement Disorders Centre, Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Doris-Eva Bamiou
- UCL Ear Institute and UCL/UCLH Biomedical Research Centre, National Institute for Health Research, University College London, London, UK
| | - Chris J D Hardy
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Jason D Warren
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
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22
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Ruksenaite J, Volkmer A, Jiang J, Johnson JC, Marshall CR, Warren JD, Hardy CJ. Primary Progressive Aphasia: Toward a Pathophysiological Synthesis. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep 2021; 21:7. [PMID: 33543347 PMCID: PMC7861583 DOI: 10.1007/s11910-021-01097-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW The term primary progressive aphasia (PPA) refers to a diverse group of dementias that present with prominent and early problems with speech and language. They present considerable challenges to clinicians and researchers. RECENT FINDINGS Here, we review critical issues around diagnosis of the three major PPA variants (semantic variant PPA, nonfluent/agrammatic variant PPA, logopenic variant PPA), as well as considering 'fragmentary' syndromes. We next consider issues around assessing disease stage, before discussing physiological phenotyping of proteinopathies across the PPA spectrum. We also review evidence for core central auditory impairments in PPA, outline critical challenges associated with treatment, discuss pathophysiological features of each major PPA variant, and conclude with thoughts on key challenges that remain to be addressed. New findings elucidating the pathophysiology of PPA represent a major step forward in our understanding of these diseases, with implications for diagnosis, care, management, and therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justina Ruksenaite
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, 8 - 11 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Anna Volkmer
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - Jessica Jiang
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, 8 - 11 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Jeremy Cs Johnson
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, 8 - 11 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Charles R Marshall
- Preventive Neurology Unit, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Jason D Warren
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, 8 - 11 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Chris Jd Hardy
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, 8 - 11 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK.
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23
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Stefaniak JD, Lambon Ralph MA, De Dios Perez B, Griffiths TD, Grube M. Auditory beat perception is related to speech output fluency in post-stroke aphasia. Sci Rep 2021; 11:3168. [PMID: 33542379 PMCID: PMC7862238 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-82809-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Aphasia affects at least one third of stroke survivors, and there is increasing awareness that more fundamental deficits in auditory processing might contribute to impaired language performance in such individuals. We performed a comprehensive battery of psychoacoustic tasks assessing the perception of tone pairs and sequences across the domains of pitch, rhythm and timbre in 17 individuals with post-stroke aphasia and 17 controls. At the level of individual differences we demonstrated a correlation between metrical pattern (beat) perception and speech output fluency with strong effect (Spearman's rho = 0.72). This dissociated from more basic auditory timing perception, which did not correlate with output fluency. This was also specific in terms of the language and cognitive measures, amongst which phonological, semantic and executive function did not correlate with beat detection. We interpret the data in terms of a requirement for the analysis of the metrical structure of sound to construct fluent output, with both being a function of higher-order "temporal scaffolding". The beat perception task herein allows measurement of timing analysis without any need to account for motor output deficit, and could be a potential clinical tool to examine this. This work suggests strategies to improve fluency after stroke by training in metrical pattern perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- James D Stefaniak
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Oxford Road, Manchester, UK.
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | | | - Blanca De Dios Perez
- Division of Psychiatry and Applied Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Timothy D Griffiths
- Newcastle University Medical School, Framlington Place, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, UK
| | - Manon Grube
- Newcastle University Medical School, Framlington Place, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK
- Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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24
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Höbler F, McGilton KS, Wittich W, Dupuis K, Reed M, Dumassais S, Mick P, Pichora-Fuller MK. Hearing Screening for Residents in Long-Term Care Homes Who Live with Dementia: A Scoping Review. J Alzheimers Dis 2021; 84:1115-1138. [PMID: 34633326 PMCID: PMC8673512 DOI: 10.3233/jad-215087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hearing loss is highly prevalent in older adults, particularly among those living with dementia and residing in long-term care homes (LTCHs). Sensory declines can have deleterious effects on functioning and contribute to frailty, but the hearing needs of residents are often unrecognized or unaddressed. OBJECTIVE To identify valid and reliable screening measures that are effective for the identification of hearing loss and are suitable for use by nursing staff providing care to residents with dementia in LTCHs. METHODS Electronic databases (Embase, Medline, PsycINFO, CENTRAL, and CINAHL) were searched using comprehensive search strategies, and a stepwise approach based on Arksey & O'Malley's scoping review and appraisal process was followed. RESULTS There were 193 scientific papers included in the review. Pure-tone audiometry was the most frequently reported measure to test hearing in older adults living with dementia. However, measures including self- or other-reports and questionnaires, review of medical records, otoscopy, and the whisper test were found to be most suitable for use by nurses working with older adults living with dementia in LTCHs. CONCLUSION Although frequently used, the suitability of pure-tone audiometry for use by nursing staff in LTCHs is limited, as standardized audiometry presents challenges for many residents, and specific training is needed to successfully adapt test administration procedures and interpret results. The whisper test was considered to be more suitable for use by staff in LTCH; however, it yields a limited characterization of hearing loss. There remains an urgent need to develop new approaches to screen hearing in LTCHs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiona Höbler
- KITE – Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Katherine S. McGilton
- KITE – Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Walter Wittich
- École d’optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Institut Nazareth et Louis-Braille du CISSS de la Montérégie-Centre, Longueuil, QC, Canada
- Centre de réadaptation Lethbridge-Layton-Mackay du CIUSSS du Centre-Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Kate Dupuis
- Sheridan Centre for Elder Research, Sheridan College, Oakville, ON, Canada
| | - Marilyn Reed
- Audiology, Baycrest Health Sciences, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Shirley Dumassais
- École d’optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Institut Nazareth et Louis-Braille du CISSS de la Montérégie-Centre, Longueuil, QC, Canada
| | - Paul Mick
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
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25
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Rao SP, Nandi R, Dutt A, Kapur N, Harris JM, Thompson JC, Snowden JS. Distinct performance profiles on the Brixton test in frontotemporal dementia. J Neuropsychol 2020; 15:162-185. [PMID: 33058472 DOI: 10.1111/jnp.12228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2020] [Revised: 09/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The Brixton Spatial Anticipation Test is a well-established test of executive function that evaluates the capacity to abstract, follow, and switch rules. There has been remarkably little systematic analysis of Brixton test performance in the prototypical neurodegenerative disorder of the frontal lobes: behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) or evaluation of the test's ability to distinguish frontal from temporal lobe degenerative disease. We carried out a quantitative and qualitative analysis of Brixton performance in 76 patients with bvFTD and 34 with semantic dementia (SD) associated with temporal lobe degeneration. The groups were matched for demographic variables and illness duration. The bvFTD group performed significantly more poorly (U = 348, p < .0001, r = .58), 53% of patients scoring in the poor-impaired range compared with 6% of SD patients. Whereas bvFTD patients showed problems in rule acquisition and switching, SD patients did not, despite their impaired conceptual knowledge. Error analysis revealed more frequent perseverative errors in bvFTD, particularly responses unconnected to the stimulus, as well as random responses. Stimulus-bound errors were rare. Within the bvFTD group, there was variation in performance profile, which could not be explained by demographic, neurological, or genetic factors. The findings demonstrate sensitivity and specificity of the Brixton test in identifying frontal lobe degenerative disease and highlight the clinical value of qualitative analysis of test performance. From a theoretical perspective, the findings provide evidence that semantic knowledge and the capacity to acquire rules are dissociable. Moreover, they exemplify the separable functional contributions to executive performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sulakshana P Rao
- Neuropsychology and Clinical Psychology Unit, Duttanagar Mental Health Centre, Kolkata, India
| | - Ranita Nandi
- Neuropsychology and Clinical Psychology Unit, Duttanagar Mental Health Centre, Kolkata, India
| | - Aparna Dutt
- Neuropsychology and Clinical Psychology Unit, Duttanagar Mental Health Centre, Kolkata, India
| | - Narinder Kapur
- Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, UK
| | - Jennifer M Harris
- Cerebral Function Unit, Manchester Centre for Clinical Neurosciences, Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, UK.,Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, UK
| | - Jennifer C Thompson
- Cerebral Function Unit, Manchester Centre for Clinical Neurosciences, Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, UK.,Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, UK
| | - Julie S Snowden
- Cerebral Function Unit, Manchester Centre for Clinical Neurosciences, Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, UK.,Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, UK
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Särkämö T, Sihvonen AJ. Lost in sound: auditory perceptual abilities in neurodegenerative diseases. Brain 2020; 143:2626-2627. [PMID: 32947613 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awaa218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
This scientific commentary refers to ‘Impairments of auditory scene analysis in posterior cortical atrophy’, by Hardy et al. (doi:10.1093/brain/awaa221).
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Affiliation(s)
- Teppo Särkämö
- Music, Ageing and Rehabilitation Team, Cognitive Brain Research Unit, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Aleksi J Sihvonen
- Music, Ageing and Rehabilitation Team, Cognitive Brain Research Unit, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Psychology and Logopedics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Neurosciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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27
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Watanabe H, Ikeda M, Mori E. Non-fluent/Agrammatic Variant of Primary Progressive Aphasia With Generalized Auditory Agnosia. Front Neurol 2020; 11:519. [PMID: 32676050 PMCID: PMC7333771 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2020.00519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2019] [Accepted: 05/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cortical neurodegeneration-induced non-fluent/agrammatic variant of primary progressive aphasia (nfvPPA) is a clinical syndrome characterized by non-fluent speech, such as apraxia of speech or agrammatism. We describe the case of an 80-year-old right-handed woman who exhibited nfvPPA. Atypically, our patient also presented with generalized auditory agnosia. Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed left-sided predominant atrophy of the bilateral perisylvian area, including the inferior frontal and superior temporal lobes. In a series of auditory tasks assessing generalized auditory agnosia, our patient was unable to accurately identify verbal sounds, environmental sounds, or familiar Japanese songs that she could sing. In the context of recent studies, our study indicates the existence of a clinical syndrome characterized by progressive speech disorder with auditory agnosia. This case report thus provides novel insights into the spectrum of language impairment induced by neurodegenerative disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroyuki Watanabe
- Department of Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Suita, Japan.,Department of Psychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Japan.,Brain Function Center, Nippon Life Hospital, Osaka, Japan
| | - Manabu Ikeda
- Department of Psychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Japan.,Brain Function Center, Nippon Life Hospital, Osaka, Japan
| | - Etsuro Mori
- Department of Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Suita, Japan.,Brain Function Center, Nippon Life Hospital, Osaka, Japan
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Ding J, Chen K, Liu H, Huang L, Chen Y, Lv Y, Yang Q, Guo Q, Han Z, Lambon Ralph MA. A unified neurocognitive model of semantics language social behaviour and face recognition in semantic dementia. Nat Commun 2020; 11:2595. [PMID: 32444620 PMCID: PMC7244491 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16089-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2019] [Accepted: 04/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The anterior temporal lobes (ATL) have become a key brain region of interest in cognitive neuroscience founded upon neuropsychological investigations of semantic dementia (SD). The purposes of this investigation are to generate a single unified model that captures the known cognitive-behavioural variations in SD and map these to the patients' distribution of frontotemporal atrophy. Here we show that the degree of generalised semantic impairment is related to the patients' total, bilateral ATL atrophy. Verbal production ability is related to total ATL atrophy as well as to the balance of left > right ATL atrophy. Apathy is found to relate positively to the degree of orbitofrontal atrophy. Disinhibition is related to right ATL and orbitofrontal atrophy, and face recognition to right ATL volumes. Rather than positing mutually-exclusive sub-categories, the data-driven model repositions semantics, language, social behaviour and face recognition into a continuous frontotemporal neurocognitive space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junhua Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
- Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Keliang Chen
- Department of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Haoming Liu
- Department of Asian and North African Studies, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Venice, Italy
| | - Lin Huang
- Department of gerontology, Shanghai Jiaotong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai, China
| | - Yan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
- College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yingru Lv
- Department of Radiology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Qing Yang
- Department of Rehabilitation, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Qihao Guo
- Department of gerontology, Shanghai Jiaotong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai, China.
| | - Zaizhu Han
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
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Hardy CJD, Frost C, Sivasathiaseelan H, Johnson JCS, Agustus JL, Bond RL, Benhamou E, Russell LL, Marshall CR, Rohrer JD, Bamiou DE, Warren JD. Findings of Impaired Hearing in Patients With Nonfluent/Agrammatic Variant Primary Progressive Aphasia. JAMA Neurol 2020; 76:607-611. [PMID: 30742208 PMCID: PMC6515576 DOI: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2018.4799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Question What is the status of peripheral hearing in patients with nonfluent/agrammatic variant primary progressive aphasia (nfvPPA)? Findings Patients with nfvPPA performed worse on pure-tone audiometry than healthy older individuals or patients with Alzheimer disease, after controlling for age and general disease factors. In addition, these patients showed increased functional interaural audiometric asymmetry. Meaning Auditory system involvement in patients with nfvPPA is more substantial than previously recognized. Importance Despite being characterized as a disorder of language production, nonfluent/agrammatic variant primary progressive aphasia (nfvPPA) is frequently associated with auditory symptoms. However, to our knowledge, peripheral auditory function has not been defined in this condition. Objective To assess peripheral hearing function in individuals with nfvPPA compared with healthy older individuals and patients with Alzheimer disease (AD). Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional single-center study was conducted at the Dementia Research Centre of University College London between August 2015 and July 2018. A consecutive cohort of patients with nfvPPA and patients with AD were compared with healthy control participants. No participant had substantial otological or cerebrovascular disease; all eligible patients fulfilling diagnostic criteria and able to comply with audiometry were included. Main Outcomes and Measures We measured mean threshold sound levels required to detect pure tones at frequencies of 500, 1000, 2000, 4000, and 6000 Hz in the left and right ears separately; these were used to generate better-ear mean and worse-ear mean composite hearing threshold scores and interaural difference scores for each participant. All analyses were adjusted for participant age. Results We studied 19 patients with nfvPPA (9 female; mean [SD] age, 70.3 [9.0] years), 20 patients with AD (9 female; mean [SD] age, 69.4 [8.1] years) and 34 control participants (15 female; mean [SD] age, 66.7 [6.3] years). The patients with nfvPPA had significantly higher scores than control participants on better-ear mean scores (patients with nfvPPA: mean [SD], 36.3 [9.4] decibels [dB]; control participants: 28.9 [7.3] dB; age-adjusted difference, 5.7 [95% CI, 1.4-10.0] dB; P = .01) and worse-ear mean scores (patients with nfvPPA: 42.2 [11.5] dB; control participants: 31.7 [8.1] dB; age-adjusted difference, 8.5 [95% CI, 3.6-13.4] dB; P = .001). The patients with nfvPPA also had significantly higher better-ear mean scores than patients with AD (patients with AD: mean [SD] 31.1 [7.5] dB; age-adjusted difference, 4.8 [95% CI, 0.0-9.6] dB; P = .048) and worse-ear mean scores (patients with AD: mean [SD], 33.8 [8.2] dB; age-adjusted difference, 7.8 [95% CI, 2.4-13.2] dB; P = .005). The difference scores (worse-ear mean minus better-ear mean) were significantly higher in the patients with nfvPPA (mean [SD], 5.9 [5.2] dB) than control participants (mean [SD], 2.8 [2.2] dB; age-adjusted difference, 2.8 [95% CI, 0.9-4.7] dB; P = .004) and patients with AD (mean [SD], 2.8 [2.1] dB; age-adjusted difference, 3.0 [95% CI, 0.9-5.1] dB; P = .005). Conclusions and Relevance In this study, patients with nfvPPA performed worse on pure-tone audiometry than healthy older individuals or patients with AD, and the difference was not attributable to age or general disease factors. Cases of nfvPPA were additionally associated with increased functional interaural audiometric asymmetry. These findings suggest conjoint peripheral afferent and more central regulatory auditory dysfunction in individuals with nfvPPA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris J D Hardy
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom
| | - Chris Frost
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom.,Department of Medical Statistics, Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Harri Sivasathiaseelan
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jeremy C S Johnson
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jennifer L Agustus
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rebecca L Bond
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom
| | - Elia Benhamou
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom
| | - Lucy L Russell
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom
| | - Charles R Marshall
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom.,Preventive Neurology Unit, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan D Rohrer
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom
| | - Doris-Eva Bamiou
- University College London Ear Institute and University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, National Institute for Health Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jason D Warren
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom
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Abstract
Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is classified into three variants, logopenic variant PPA (lvPPA), nonfluent agrammatic PPA (nfaPPA), and semantic variant PPA (svPPA), based on clinical (syndromic) characteristics with support from neuroimaging and/or underlying neuropathology. Classification of PPA variants provides information valuable to disease management. International consensus criteria are widely employed to identify PPA subtypes; however, classification is complex, and some individuals do not fit neatly into the subtyping scheme. In this review, diagnostic challenges and their implications are discussed, possible explanations for these challenges are explored, and approaches to address PPA classification are considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donna C. Tippett
- Departments of Neurology, Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, and Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, 21287, USA
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Mack JE, Mesulam MM, Rogalski EJ, Thompson CK. Verb-argument integration in primary progressive aphasia: Real-time argument access and selection. Neuropsychologia 2019; 134:107192. [PMID: 31521633 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2019.107192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2019] [Revised: 07/30/2019] [Accepted: 09/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Impaired sentence comprehension is observed in the three major subtypes of PPA, with distinct performance patterns relating to impairments in comprehending complex sentences in the agrammatic (PPA-G) and logopenic (PPA-L) variants and word comprehension in the semantic subtype (PPA-S). However, little is known about basic combinatory processes during sentence comprehension in PPA, such the integration of verbs with their subject and object(s) (verb-argument integration). METHODS The present study used visual-world eye-tracking to examine real-time verb-argument integration in individuals with PPA (12 with PPA-G, 10 with PPA-L, and 6 with PPA-S) and neurotypical older adults (15). Two baseline experiments probed eye movement control, using a non-linguistic task, and noun comprehension, respectively. Two verb-argument integration experiments examined the effects of verb meaning on (a) lexical access of the verb's direct object (argument access) and (b) selection of a semantically-appropriate direct object (argument selection), respectively. Eye movement analyses were conducted only for trials with correct behavioral responses, allowing us to distinguish accuracy and online processing. RESULTS The eye movement control experiment revealed no significant impairments in PPA, whereas the noun comprehension experiment revealed reduced accuracy and eye-movement latencies in PPA-S, and to a lesser extent PPA-G. In the argument access experiment, verb meaning facilitated argument access normally in PPA-G and PPA-L; in PPA-S, verb-meaning effects emerged on an atypical time course. In the argument selection experiment, significant impairments in accuracy were observed only in PPA-G, accompanied by markedly atypical eye movement patterns. CONCLUSION This study revealed two distinct patterns of impaired verb-argument integration in PPA. In PPA-S, impaired verb-argument integration was observed in the argument access experiment, indicating impairments in basic semantic combinatory processes which likely relate to damage in ventral language pathways. In contrast, listeners with PPA-G showed marked impairments of argument selection, likely relating to damage to left inferior frontal regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer E Mack
- Roxelyn & Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, USA.
| | - M-Marsel Mesulam
- Mesulam Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center, Northwestern University, USA; Ken & Ruth Davee Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, USA
| | - Emily J Rogalski
- Mesulam Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center, Northwestern University, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University, USA
| | - Cynthia K Thompson
- Roxelyn & Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, USA; Mesulam Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center, Northwestern University, USA; Ken & Ruth Davee Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, USA
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW This article summarizes the clinical and anatomic features of the three named variants of primary progressive aphasia (PPA): semantic variant PPA, nonfluent/agrammatic variant PPA, and logopenic variant PPA. Three stroke aphasia syndromes that resemble the PPA variants (Broca aphasia, Wernicke aphasia, and conduction aphasia) are also presented. RECENT FINDINGS Semantic variant PPA and Wernicke aphasia are characterized by fluent speech with naming and comprehension difficulty; these syndromes are associated with disease in different portions of the left temporal lobe. Patients with nonfluent/agrammatic variant PPA or Broca aphasia have nonfluent speech with grammatical difficulty; these syndromes are associated with disease centered in the left inferior frontal lobe. Patients with logopenic variant PPA or conduction aphasia have difficulty with repetition and word finding in conversational speech; these syndromes are associated with disease in the left inferior parietal lobe. While PPA and stroke aphasias resemble one another, this article also presents their distinguishing features. SUMMARY Primary progressive and stroke aphasia syndromes interrupt the left perisylvian language network, resulting in identifiable aphasic syndromes.
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Koohi N, Vickers DA, Utoomprurkporn N, Werring DJ, Bamiou DE. A Hearing Screening Protocol for Stroke Patients: An Exploratory Study. Front Neurol 2019; 10:842. [PMID: 31447763 PMCID: PMC6691813 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2019.00842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2019] [Accepted: 07/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Auditory impairment post stroke is common and may be due to both peripheral hearing loss and or central auditory processing disorder (CAPD). When auditory impairment remains untreated, it may impact on patient communication and rehabilitation after stroke. Offering a comprehensive audiological assessment to all stroke patients would be both costly and time-consuming. A brief hearing screening is thus required. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether a two-tiered hearing screening approach, with use of a handheld hearing screener and two validated hearing questionnaires could be used as a hearing screening for peripheral hearing loss and CAPD in stroke survivors. The sensitivity and specificity of the screening method was analyzed. Methods: This was a prospective study conducted in a tertiary neurology hospital. Forty-two consecutive stroke patients were recruited and tested within 3-12 months post-onset of their stroke. Three screening tools for the identification of hearing impairment were evaluated in this study: A handheld hearing screener for determination of peripheral audiometric hearing loss and two validated questionnaires (The Amsterdam Inventory Auditory for Disability (AIAD) and the Hearing Handicap Inventory for Elderly (HHIE) questionnaires) for determination of peripheral hearing loss and/or CAPD. Results: The hearing screener had a sensitivity of 92. 59% detecting a hearing loss and specificity of 100%. The greatest test accuracy in identifying a central auditory processing type hearing impairment in stroke patients was found when the handheld hearing screener and the AIAD questionnaire were combined. Conclusion: This study is a first step toward addressing the complex auditory needs of stroke survivors in a systematic manner, with the ultimate aim to support their communication needs and long-term recovery and wellbeing. Registration: Project Identification number 11/0469 and REC ref 11/LO/1675.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nehzat Koohi
- Department of Neuro-audiology, The Ear Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Neuro-otology Department, University College London Hospitals, London, United Kingdom
| | - Deborah A. Vickers
- Speech Hearing and Phonetic Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Nattawan Utoomprurkporn
- Department of Neuro-audiology, The Ear Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Otolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - David J. Werring
- Neuro-otology Department, University College London Hospitals, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Brain Repair and Rehabilitation, Stroke Research Centre, Institute of Neurology, University College London Hospitals, London, United Kingdom
| | - Doris-Eva Bamiou
- Department of Neuro-audiology, The Ear Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Neuro-otology Department, University College London Hospitals, London, United Kingdom
- Biomedical Research Centre, National Institute for Health Research, London, United Kingdom
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34
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Hardy CJD, Johnson JCS, Warren JD. Auditory symptoms in primary progressive aphasia: A commentary on Utianski et al. (2019). Cortex 2019; 119:580-582. [PMID: 31030898 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2019.03.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2019] [Accepted: 03/21/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chris J D Hardy
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UK.
| | - Jeremy C S Johnson
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UK
| | - Jason D Warren
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UK
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Knowledge on primary progressive aphasia (PPA) has expanded rapidly in the past few decades. Clinical characteristics, neuroimaging correlates, and neuropathological features of PPA are better delineated. This facilitates scientific studies on the disease pathophysiology and allows speech and language therapy to be more precisely targeted. This review article begins with a summary of the current understanding of PPA and discusses how PPA can serve as a model to promote scientific discovery in neurodegenerative diseases. RECENT FINDINGS Studies on the different variants of PPA have demonstrated the high compatibility between clinical presentations and neuroimaging features, and in turn, enhances the understanding of speech and language neuroanatomy. In addition to the traditional approach of lesion-based or voxel-based mapping, scientists have also adopted functional connectivity and network topology approaches that permits a more multidimensional understanding of neuroanatomy. As a result, pharmacological and cognitive therapeutic strategies can now be better targeted towards specific pathological/molecular and cognitive subtypes. SUMMARY Recent scientific advancement in PPA potentiates it to be an optimal model for studying brain network vulnerability, neurodevelopment influences and the effects of nonpharmacological intervention in neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boon Lead Tee
- Global Brain Health Institute, Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital, Hualien, Taiwan
- Department of Neurology, Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital, Hualien, Taiwan
| | - Maria Luisa Gorno-Tempini
- Department of Neurology, Memory and Aging Center, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Dyslexia Center, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Global Brain Health Institute, Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital, Hualien, Taiwan
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36
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Hardy CJD, Bond RL, Jaisin K, Marshall CR, Russell LL, Dick K, Crutch SJ, Rohrer JD, Warren JD. Sensitivity of Speech Output to Delayed Auditory Feedback in Primary Progressive Aphasias. Front Neurol 2018; 9:894. [PMID: 30420829 PMCID: PMC6216253 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2018.00894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2018] [Accepted: 10/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Delayed auditory feedback (DAF) is a classical paradigm for probing sensori-motor interactions in speech output and has been studied in various disorders associated with speech dysfluency and aphasia. However, little information is available concerning the effects of DAF on degenerating language networks in primary progressive aphasia: the paradigmatic "language-led dementias." Here we studied two forms of speech output (reading aloud and propositional speech) under natural listening conditions (no feedback delay) and under DAF at 200 ms, in a cohort of 19 patients representing all major primary progressive aphasia syndromes vs. healthy older individuals and patients with other canonical dementia syndromes (typical Alzheimer's disease and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia). Healthy controls and most syndromic groups showed a quantitatively or qualitatively similar profile of reduced speech output rate and increased speech error rate under DAF relative to natural auditory feedback. However, there was no group effect on propositional speech output rate under DAF in patients with nonfluent primary progressive aphasia and logopenic aphasia. Importantly, there was considerable individual variation in DAF sensitivity within syndromic groups and some patients in each group (though no healthy controls) apparently benefited from DAF, showing paradoxically increased speech output rate and/or reduced speech error rate under DAF. This work suggests that DAF may be an informative probe of pathophysiological mechanisms underpinning primary progressive aphasia: identification of "DAF responders" may open up an avenue to novel therapeutic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris J D Hardy
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rebecca L Bond
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Kankamol Jaisin
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Pathum Thani, Thailand
| | - Charles R Marshall
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Lucy L Russell
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Katrina Dick
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sebastian J Crutch
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan D Rohrer
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jason D Warren
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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Snowden JS, Harris JM, Thompson JC, Kobylecki C, Jones M, Richardson AM, Neary D. Semantic dementia and the left and right temporal lobes. Cortex 2018; 107:188-203. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2017.08.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2017] [Revised: 07/19/2017] [Accepted: 08/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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Hardy CJD, Marshall CR, Bond RL, Russell LL, Dick K, Ariti C, Thomas DL, Ross SJ, Agustus JL, Crutch SJ, Rohrer JD, Bamiou DE, Warren JD. Retained capacity for perceptual learning of degraded speech in primary progressive aphasia and Alzheimer's disease. ALZHEIMERS RESEARCH & THERAPY 2018; 10:70. [PMID: 30045755 PMCID: PMC6060531 DOI: 10.1186/s13195-018-0399-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2018] [Accepted: 06/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Background Processing of degraded speech is a promising model for understanding communication under challenging listening conditions, core auditory deficits and residual capacity for perceptual learning and cerebral plasticity in major dementias. Methods We compared the processing of sine-wave-degraded speech in 26 patients with primary progressive aphasia (non-fluent, semantic, and logopenic variants), 10 patients with typical Alzheimer’s disease and 17 healthy control subjects. Participants were required to identify sine-wave words that were more predictable (three-digit numbers) or less predictable (place names). The change in identification performance within each session indexed perceptual learning. Neuroanatomical associations of degraded speech processing were assessed using voxel-based morphometry. Results Patients with non-fluent and logopenic progressive aphasia and typical Alzheimer’s disease showed impaired identification of sine-wave numbers, whereas all syndromic groups showed impaired identification of sine-wave place names. A significant overall identification advantage for numbers over place names was shown by patients with typical Alzheimer’s disease, patients with semantic progressive aphasia and healthy control participants. All syndromic groups showed spontaneous perceptual learning effects for sine-wave numbers. For the combined patient cohort, grey matter correlates were identified across a distributed left hemisphere network extending beyond classical speech-processing cortices. Conclusions These findings demonstrate resilience of auditory perceptual learning capacity across dementia syndromes, despite variably impaired perceptual decoding of degraded speech and reduced predictive integration of semantic knowledge. This work has implications for the neurobiology of dynamic sensory processing and plasticity in neurodegenerative diseases and for development of novel biomarkers and therapeutic interventions. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13195-018-0399-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris J D Hardy
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Charles R Marshall
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Rebecca L Bond
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Lucy L Russell
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Katrina Dick
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Cono Ariti
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK.,London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - David L Thomas
- Neuroradiological Academic Unit, Department of Brain Repair and Rehabilitation, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK.,Leonard Wolfson Experimental Neurology Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Sonya J Ross
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Jennifer L Agustus
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Sebastian J Crutch
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Jonathan D Rohrer
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Doris-Eva Bamiou
- UCL Ear Institute and UCLH Biomedical Research Centre, National Institute for Health Research, London, UK
| | - Jason D Warren
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK.
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Marshall CR, Hardy CJD, Volkmer A, Russell LL, Bond RL, Fletcher PD, Clark CN, Mummery CJ, Schott JM, Rossor MN, Fox NC, Crutch SJ, Rohrer JD, Warren JD. Primary progressive aphasia: a clinical approach. J Neurol 2018; 265:1474-1490. [PMID: 29392464 PMCID: PMC5990560 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-018-8762-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2017] [Revised: 01/18/2018] [Accepted: 01/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The primary progressive aphasias are a heterogeneous group of focal 'language-led' dementias that pose substantial challenges for diagnosis and management. Here we present a clinical approach to the progressive aphasias, based on our experience of these disorders and directed at non-specialists. We first outline a framework for assessing language, tailored to the common presentations of progressive aphasia. We then consider the defining features of the canonical progressive nonfluent, semantic and logopenic aphasic syndromes, including 'clinical pearls' that we have found diagnostically useful and neuroanatomical and other key associations of each syndrome. We review potential diagnostic pitfalls and problematic presentations not well captured by conventional classifications and propose a diagnostic 'roadmap'. After outlining principles of management, we conclude with a prospect for future progress in these diseases, emphasising generic information processing deficits and novel pathophysiological biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles R Marshall
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK.
| | - Chris J D Hardy
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Anna Volkmer
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - Lucy L Russell
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Rebecca L Bond
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Phillip D Fletcher
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Camilla N Clark
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Catherine J Mummery
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Jonathan M Schott
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Martin N Rossor
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Nick C Fox
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Sebastian J Crutch
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Jonathan D Rohrer
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Jason D Warren
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK.
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Hurley RS, Mesulam MM, Sridhar J, Rogalski EJ, Thompson CK. A nonverbal route to conceptual knowledge involving the right anterior temporal lobe. Neuropsychologia 2018; 117:92-101. [PMID: 29802865 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.05.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2017] [Revised: 05/18/2018] [Accepted: 05/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The semantic variant of primary progressive aphasia (PPA-S) is diagnosed based on impaired single-word comprehension, but nonverbal impairments in face and object recognition can also be present, particularly in later disease stages. PPA-S is associated with focal atrophy in the left anterior temporal lobe (ATL), often accompanied by a lesser degree of atrophy in the right ATL. According to a dual-route account, the left ATL is critical for verbal access to conceptual knowledge while nonverbal access to conceptual knowledge depends upon the integrity of right ATL. Consistent with this view, single-word comprehension deficits in PPA-S have consistently been linked to the degree of atrophy in left ATL. In the current study we examined object processing and cortical thickness in 19 patients diagnosed with PPA-S, to evaluate the hypothesis that nonverbal object impairments would instead be determined by the amount of atrophy in the right ATL. All patients demonstrated inability to access conceptual knowledge on standardized tests with word stimuli: they were unable to match spoken words with their corresponding pictures on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. Only a minority of patients, however, performed abnormally on an experimental thematic verification task, which requires judgments as to whether pairs of object pictures are thematically-associated, and does not rely on auditory or visual word input. The entire PPA-S group showed cortical thinning in left ATL, but atrophy in right ATL was more prominent in the subgroup with low verification scores. Thematic verification scores were correlated with cortical thickness in the right rather than left ATL, an asymmetric mapping which persisted when controlling for the degree of atrophy in the contralateral hemisphere. These results are consistent with a dual-route account of conceptual knowledge: breakdown of the verbal left hemispheric route produces an aphasic syndrome, which is only accompanied by visual object processing impairments when the nonverbal right hemispheric route is also compromised.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert S Hurley
- Cognitive Neurology & Alzheimer's Disease Center, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA; Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA; Department of Psychology, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH 44115, USA.
| | - M-Marsel Mesulam
- Cognitive Neurology & Alzheimer's Disease Center, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA; Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Jaiashre Sridhar
- Cognitive Neurology & Alzheimer's Disease Center, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Emily J Rogalski
- Cognitive Neurology & Alzheimer's Disease Center, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Cynthia K Thompson
- Cognitive Neurology & Alzheimer's Disease Center, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA; Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA; Department of Communications Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
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41
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Muhammed L, Hardy CJD, Russell LL, Marshall CR, Clark CN, Bond RL, Warrington EK, Warren JD. Agnosia for bird calls. Neuropsychologia 2018; 113:61-67. [PMID: 29572063 PMCID: PMC5946901 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.03.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2017] [Revised: 01/18/2018] [Accepted: 03/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
The cognitive organisation of nonverbal auditory knowledge remains poorly defined. Deficits of environmental sound as well as word and visual object knowledge are well-recognised in semantic dementia. However, it is unclear how auditory cognition breaks down in this disorder and how this relates to deficits in other knowledge modalities. We had the opportunity to study a patient with a typical syndrome of semantic dementia who had extensive premorbid knowledge of birds, allowing us to assess the impact of the disease on the processing of auditory in relation to visual and verbal attributes of this specific knowledge category. We designed a novel neuropsychological test to probe knowledge of particular avian characteristics (size, behaviour [migratory or nonmigratory], habitat [whether or not primarily water-dwelling]) in the nonverbal auditory, visual and verbal modalities, based on a uniform two-alternative-forced-choice procedure. The patient's performance was compared to healthy older individuals of similar birding experience. We further compared his performance on this test of bird knowledge with his knowledge of familiar human voices and faces. Relative to healthy birder controls, the patient showed marked deficits of bird call and bird name knowledge but relatively preserved knowledge of avian visual attributes and retained knowledge of human voices and faces. In both the auditory and visual modalities, his knowledge of the avian characteristics of size and behaviour was intact whereas his knowledge of the associated characteristic of habitat was deficient. This case provides further evidence that nonverbal auditory knowledge has a fractionated organisation that can be differentially targeted in semantic dementia. The cognitive organisation of auditory semantics is poorly understood. We assessed multimodal avian knowledge in a birder with semantic dementia. The patient had auditory (but not visual) agnosia for birds versus healthy birders. Auditory knowledge of avian attributes and human voices were differentially affected. This case illuminates the fractionated organisation of nonverbal auditory knowledge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louwai Muhammed
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Chris J D Hardy
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Lucy L Russell
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Charles R Marshall
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Camilla N Clark
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rebecca L Bond
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Elizabeth K Warrington
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jason D Warren
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
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42
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Cope TE, Sohoglu E, Sedley W, Patterson K, Jones PS, Wiggins J, Dawson C, Grube M, Carlyon RP, Griffiths TD, Davis MH, Rowe JB. Evidence for causal top-down frontal contributions to predictive processes in speech perception. Nat Commun 2017; 8:2154. [PMID: 29255275 PMCID: PMC5735133 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01958-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2017] [Accepted: 10/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Perception relies on the integration of sensory information and prior expectations. Here we show that selective neurodegeneration of human frontal speech regions results in delayed reconciliation of predictions in temporal cortex. These temporal regions were not atrophic, displayed normal evoked magnetic and electrical power, and preserved neural sensitivity to manipulations of sensory detail. Frontal neurodegeneration does not prevent the perceptual effects of contextual information; instead, prior expectations are applied inflexibly. The precision of predictions correlates with beta power, in line with theoretical models of the neural instantiation of predictive coding. Fronto-temporal interactions are enhanced while participants reconcile prior predictions with degraded sensory signals. Excessively precise predictions can explain several challenging phenomena in frontal aphasias, including agrammatism and subjective difficulties with speech perception. This work demonstrates that higher-level frontal mechanisms for cognitive and behavioural flexibility make a causal functional contribution to the hierarchical generative models underlying speech perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas E Cope
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, UK.
| | - E Sohoglu
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 7EF, UK
| | - W Sedley
- Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Newcastle, NE1 7RU, UK
| | - K Patterson
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, UK
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 7EF, UK
| | - P S Jones
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, UK
| | - J Wiggins
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, UK
| | - C Dawson
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, UK
| | - M Grube
- Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Newcastle, NE1 7RU, UK
| | - R P Carlyon
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 7EF, UK
| | - T D Griffiths
- Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Newcastle, NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Matthew H Davis
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 7EF, UK
| | - James B Rowe
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, UK
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 7EF, UK
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43
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Iliadou VV, Ptok M, Grech H, Pedersen ER, Brechmann A, Deggouj N, Kiese-Himmel C, Śliwińska-Kowalska M, Nickisch A, Demanez L, Veuillet E, Thai-Van H, Sirimanna T, Callimachou M, Santarelli R, Kuske S, Barajas J, Hedjever M, Konukseven O, Veraguth D, Stokkereit Mattsson T, Martins JH, Bamiou DE. A European Perspective on Auditory Processing Disorder-Current Knowledge and Future Research Focus. Front Neurol 2017; 8:622. [PMID: 29209272 PMCID: PMC5702335 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2017.00622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2017] [Accepted: 11/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Current notions of “hearing impairment,” as reflected in clinical audiological practice, do not acknowledge the needs of individuals who have normal hearing pure tone sensitivity but who experience auditory processing difficulties in everyday life that are indexed by reduced performance in other more sophisticated audiometric tests such as speech audiometry in noise or complex non-speech sound perception. This disorder, defined as “Auditory Processing Disorder” (APD) or “Central Auditory Processing Disorder” is classified in the current tenth version of the International Classification of diseases as H93.25 and in the forthcoming beta eleventh version. APDs may have detrimental effects on the affected individual, with low esteem, anxiety, and depression, and symptoms may remain into adulthood. These disorders may interfere with learning per se and with communication, social, emotional, and academic-work aspects of life. The objective of the present paper is to define a baseline European APD consensus formulated by experienced clinicians and researchers in this specific field of human auditory science. A secondary aim is to identify issues that future research needs to address in order to further clarify the nature of APD and thus assist in optimum diagnosis and evidence-based management. This European consensus presents the main symptoms, conditions, and specific medical history elements that should lead to auditory processing evaluation. Consensus on definition of the disorder, optimum diagnostic pathway, and appropriate management are highlighted alongside a perspective on future research focus.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Martin Ptok
- Department of Phoniatrics and Pediatric Audiology, Hannover, Germany
| | | | - Ellen Raben Pedersen
- The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | | | - Naïma Deggouj
- Audio-Phonological Center, St Luc's University Hospital, Université Catholique de Louvain (UcL), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Christiane Kiese-Himmel
- Phoniatric and Pediatric Audiological Psychology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Germany
| | | | - Andreas Nickisch
- Department of Hearing-Language-Cochlear Implants, Kbo-Kinderzentrum München, Munich, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Tony Sirimanna
- Department of Audiology and Audiological Medicine, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | - Jose Barajas
- Clnica Barajas, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
| | - Mladen Hedjever
- Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences, Speech Therapy Department, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Ozlem Konukseven
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Audiology Department, Istanbul Aydın University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Dorothy Veraguth
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Tone Stokkereit Mattsson
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Jorge Humberto Martins
- Cochlear Implant Unit, Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Doris-Eva Bamiou
- Faculty of Brain Sciences, UCL Ear Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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Abstract
Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) refers to a disorder of declining language associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as frontotemporal degeneration and Alzheimer disease. Variants of PPA are important to recognize from a medical perspective because these syndromes are clinical markers suggesting specific underlying pathology. In this review, I discuss linguistic aspects of PPA syndromes that may prove informative for parsing our language mechanism and identifying the neural representation of fundamental elements of language. I focus on the representation of word meaning in a discussion of semantic variant PPA, grammatical comprehension and expression in a discussion of nonfluent/agrammatic variant PPA, the supporting role of short-term memory in a discussion of logopenic variant PPA, and components of language associated with discourse in a discussion of behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia. PPA provides a novel perspective that uniquely addresses facets of language and its disorders while complementing traditional aphasia syndromes that follow stroke.
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Affiliation(s)
- Murray Grossman
- Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center and Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
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45
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Cope TE, Wilson B, Robson H, Drinkall R, Dean L, Grube M, Jones PS, Patterson K, Griffiths TD, Rowe JB, Petkov CI. Artificial grammar learning in vascular and progressive non-fluent aphasias. Neuropsychologia 2017; 104:201-213. [PMID: 28843341 PMCID: PMC5637161 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.08.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2017] [Revised: 08/15/2017] [Accepted: 08/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Patients with non-fluent aphasias display impairments of expressive and receptive grammar. This has been attributed to deficits in processing configurational and hierarchical sequencing relationships. This hypothesis had not been formally tested. It was also controversial whether impairments are specific to language, or reflect domain general deficits in processing structured auditory sequences. Here we used an artificial grammar learning paradigm to compare the abilities of controls to participants with agrammatic aphasia of two different aetiologies: stroke and frontotemporal dementia. Ten patients with non-fluent variant primary progressive aphasia (nfvPPA), 12 with non-fluent aphasia due to stroke, and 11 controls implicitly learned a novel mixed-complexity artificial grammar designed to assess processing of increasingly complex sequencing relationships. We compared response profiles for otherwise identical sequences of speech tokens (nonsense words) and tone sweeps. In all three groups the ability to detect grammatical violations varied with sequence complexity, with performance improving over time and being better for adjacent than non-adjacent relationships. Patients performed less well than controls overall, and this was related more strongly to aphasia severity than to aetiology. All groups improved with practice and performed well at a control task of detecting oddball nonwords. Crucially, group differences did not interact with sequence complexity, demonstrating that aphasic patients were not disproportionately impaired on complex structures. Hierarchical cluster analysis revealed that response patterns were very similar across all three groups, but very different between the nonsense word and tone tasks, despite identical artificial grammar structures. Overall, we demonstrate that agrammatic aphasics of two different aetiologies are not disproportionately impaired on complex sequencing relationships, and that the learning of phonological and non-linguistic sequences occurs independently. The similarity of profiles of discriminatory abilities and rule learning across groups suggests that insights from previous studies of implicit sequence learning in vascular aphasia are likely to prove applicable in nfvPPA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas E Cope
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, UK; Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, UK.
| | | | - Holly Robson
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, UK
| | - Rebecca Drinkall
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, UK
| | - Lauren Dean
- Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, UK
| | - Manon Grube
- Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, UK
| | - P Simon Jones
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Karalyn Patterson
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, UK; Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - James B Rowe
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, UK; Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, UK
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46
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Hardy CJD, Agustus JL, Marshall CR, Clark CN, Russell LL, Bond RL, Brotherhood EV, Thomas DL, Crutch SJ, Rohrer JD, Warren JD. Behavioural and neuroanatomical correlates of auditory speech analysis in primary progressive aphasias. ALZHEIMERS RESEARCH & THERAPY 2017; 9:53. [PMID: 28750682 PMCID: PMC5531024 DOI: 10.1186/s13195-017-0278-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2017] [Accepted: 06/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Background Non-verbal auditory impairment is increasingly recognised in the primary progressive aphasias (PPAs) but its relationship to speech processing and brain substrates has not been defined. Here we addressed these issues in patients representing the non-fluent variant (nfvPPA) and semantic variant (svPPA) syndromes of PPA. Methods We studied 19 patients with PPA in relation to 19 healthy older individuals. We manipulated three key auditory parameters—temporal regularity, phonemic spectral structure and prosodic predictability (an index of fundamental information content, or entropy)—in sequences of spoken syllables. The ability of participants to process these parameters was assessed using two-alternative, forced-choice tasks and neuroanatomical associations of task performance were assessed using voxel-based morphometry of patients’ brain magnetic resonance images. Results Relative to healthy controls, both the nfvPPA and svPPA groups had impaired processing of phonemic spectral structure and signal predictability while the nfvPPA group additionally had impaired processing of temporal regularity in speech signals. Task performance correlated with standard disease severity and neurolinguistic measures. Across the patient cohort, performance on the temporal regularity task was associated with grey matter in the left supplementary motor area and right caudate, performance on the phoneme processing task was associated with grey matter in the left supramarginal gyrus, and performance on the prosodic predictability task was associated with grey matter in the right putamen. Conclusions Our findings suggest that PPA syndromes may be underpinned by more generic deficits of auditory signal analysis, with a distributed cortico-subcortical neuraoanatomical substrate extending beyond the canonical language network. This has implications for syndrome classification and biomarker development. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13195-017-0278-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris J D Hardy
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Jennifer L Agustus
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Charles R Marshall
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Camilla N Clark
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Lucy L Russell
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Rebecca L Bond
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Emilie V Brotherhood
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - David L Thomas
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK.,Neuroradiological Academic Unit, Department of Brain Repair and Rehabilitation, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Sebastian J Crutch
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Jonathan D Rohrer
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Jason D Warren
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK.
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47
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Functional neuroanatomy of speech signal decoding in primary progressive aphasias. Neurobiol Aging 2017; 56:190-201. [PMID: 28571652 PMCID: PMC5476347 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2017.04.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2017] [Revised: 04/26/2017] [Accepted: 04/28/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The pathophysiology of primary progressive aphasias remains poorly understood. Here, we addressed this issue using activation fMRI in a cohort of 27 patients with primary progressive aphasia (nonfluent, semantic, and logopenic variants) versus 15 healthy controls. Participants listened passively to sequences of spoken syllables in which we manipulated 3-key auditory speech signal characteristics: temporal regularity, phonemic spectral structure, and pitch sequence entropy. Relative to healthy controls, nonfluent variant patients showed reduced activation of medial Heschl's gyrus in response to any auditory stimulation and reduced activation of anterior cingulate to temporal irregularity. Semantic variant patients had relatively reduced activation of caudate and anterior cingulate in response to increased entropy. Logopenic variant patients showed reduced activation of posterior superior temporal cortex to phonemic spectral structure. Taken together, our findings suggest that impaired processing of core speech signal attributes may drive particular progressive aphasia syndromes and could index a generic physiological mechanism of reduced computational efficiency relevant to all these syndromes, with implications for development of new biomarkers and therapeutic interventions.
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48
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Koohi N, Vickers D, Warren J, Werring D, Bamiou DE. Long-term use benefits of personal frequency-modulated systems for speech in noise perception in patients with stroke with auditory processing deficits: a non-randomised controlled trial study. BMJ Open 2017; 7:e013003. [PMID: 28389484 PMCID: PMC5558864 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-013003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Approximately one in five stroke survivors suffer from difficulties with speech reception in noise, despite normal audiometry. These deficits are treatable with personal frequency-modulated systems (FMs). This study aimed to evaluate long-term benefits in speech reception in noise, after daily 10-week use of personal FMs, in non-aphasic patients with stroke with auditory processing deficits. DESIGN This was a prospective non-randomised controlled trial study. Patients were allocated to an intervention care group or standard care subjects group according to their willingness to use the intervention or not. SETTING Tertiary care setting. PARTICIPANTS Nine non-aphasic subjects with ischaemic stroke, normal/near-normal audiometry and auditory processing deficits and with reported difficulties understanding speech in background noise were recruited in the subacute stroke stage (3-12 months after stroke). INTERVENTIONS Four patients (intervention care subjects) used the FMs in their daily life over 10 weeks. Five patients (standard care subjects) received standard care. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES All subjects were tested at baseline (visit 1) and 10 weeks later (visit 2) on a sentences in noise test with the FMs (aided) and without the FMs (unaided). RESULTS Speech reception thresholds showed clinically and statistically significant improvements in intervention but not in standard care subjects at 10 weeks in aided and unaided conditions. CONCLUSIONS 10-week use of FMs by adult patients with stroke may lead to benefits in unaided speech in noise perception. Our findings may indicate auditory plasticity type changes and require further investigation. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER Pre-results; NCT02889107.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nehzat Koohi
- UCL Ear Institute, London, UK
- National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK
| | | | - Jason Warren
- National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK
- UCL Dementia Research Centre
| | - David Werring
- National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK
- Department of Brain Repair and Rehabilitation, Stroke Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology
| | - Doris-Eva Bamiou
- UCL Ear Institute, London, UK
- National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK
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49
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Chermak GD, Bamiou DE, Vivian Iliadou V, Musiek FE. Practical guidelines to minimise language and cognitive confounds in the diagnosis of CAPD: a brief tutorial. Int J Audiol 2017. [PMID: 28635503 DOI: 10.1080/14992027.2017.1284351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To provide audiologists with strategies to minimise confounding cognitive and language processing variables and accurately diagnose central auditory processing disorder (CAPD). DESIGN Tutorial. STUDY SAMPLE None. RESULTS Strategies are reviewed to minimise confounding cognitive and language processing variables and accurately diagnose CAPD. CONCLUSIONS Differential diagnosis is exceedingly important and can be quite challenging. Distinguishing between two or more conditions presenting with similar symptoms or attributes requires multidisciplinary, comprehensive assessment. To ensure appropriate interventions, the audiologist is a member of the multidisciplinary team responsible for determining whether there is an auditory component to other presenting deficits or whether one condition is responsible for the symptoms seen in another. Choice of tests should be guided both by the symptoms of the affected individual, as established in an in-depth interview and case history, the individual's age and primary language, and by the specific deficits reported to be associated with specific clinical presentations. Knowing which tests are available, their strengths and limitations, the processes assessed, task and response requirements, and the areas of the central auditory nervous system (CANS) to which each test is most sensitive provides the audiologist with critical information to assist in the differential diagnostic process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gail D Chermak
- a Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine , Washington State University Health Sciences Spokane , Spokane , WA , USA
| | | | - Vasiliki Vivian Iliadou
- c Clinical Psychoacoustics Lab, 3rd Psychiatric Department , Neuroscience Sector, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki , Thessaloniki , Greece , and
| | - Frank E Musiek
- d Neuroaudiology Lab , University of Arizona , Tucson , AZ , USA
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Collins JA, Montal V, Hochberg D, Quimby M, Mandelli ML, Makris N, Seeley WW, Gorno-Tempini ML, Dickerson BC. Focal temporal pole atrophy and network degeneration in semantic variant primary progressive aphasia. Brain 2017; 140:457-471. [PMID: 28040670 PMCID: PMC5278308 DOI: 10.1093/brain/aww313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2016] [Revised: 08/10/2016] [Accepted: 10/25/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
A wealth of neuroimaging research has associated semantic variant primary progressive aphasia with distributed cortical atrophy that is most prominent in the left anterior temporal cortex; however, there is little consensus regarding which region within the anterior temporal cortex is most prominently damaged, which may indicate the putative origin of neurodegeneration. In this study, we localized the most prominent and consistent region of atrophy in semantic variant primary progressive aphasia using cortical thickness analysis in two independent patient samples (n = 16 and 28, respectively) relative to age-matched controls (n = 30). Across both samples the point of maximal atrophy was located in the same region of the left temporal pole. This same region was the point of maximal atrophy in 100% of individual patients in both semantic variant primary progressive aphasia samples. Using resting state functional connectivity in healthy young adults (n = 89), we showed that the seed region derived from the semantic variant primary progressive aphasia analysis was strongly connected with a large-scale network that closely resembled the distributed atrophy pattern in semantic variant primary progressive aphasia. In both patient samples, the magnitude of atrophy within a brain region was predicted by that region's strength of functional connectivity to the temporopolar seed region in healthy adults. These findings suggest that cortical atrophy in semantic variant primary progressive aphasia may follow connectional pathways within a large-scale network that converges on the temporal pole.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica A Collins
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Victor Montal
- Department of Neurology, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques Sant Pau-Hospital de Sant Pau, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Daisy Hochberg
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Megan Quimby
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Maria Luisa Mandelli
- Department of Neurology, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Nikos Makris
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - William W Seeley
- Department of Neurology, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Pathology, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | - Bradford C Dickerson
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
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