Towards a clearer definition of logopenic progressive aphasia

Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep. 2013 Nov;13(11):396. doi: 10.1007/s11910-013-0396-6.

Abstract

Logopenic progressive aphasia is the most recently described clinical variant of primary progressive aphasia (PPA), defined by impairment of lexical retrieval and sentence repetition. Unlike other PPA variants, the logopenic variant of PPA (lv-PPA) is commonly associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), a fact that is relevant to the selection of patients for clinical trials and disease-modifying therapies. Despite the straightforward definition and coherent pathological association, the existence of lv-PPA has been challenged, as its distinction from AD or other PPA variants can be difficult. Despite these issues, lv-PPA patients display characteristic linguistic deficits, a pattern of brain atrophy, and possibly genetic susceptibility, which warrant considering this variant as a discrete AD endophenotype. More specific clinical and anatomical markers can strengthen the consistency of this syndrome.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Alzheimer Disease / diagnosis*
  • Alzheimer Disease / epidemiology*
  • Aphasia, Primary Progressive / classification*
  • Aphasia, Primary Progressive / diagnosis*
  • Aphasia, Primary Progressive / epidemiology
  • Humans
  • Primary Progressive Nonfluent Aphasia / classification
  • Primary Progressive Nonfluent Aphasia / diagnosis
  • Primary Progressive Nonfluent Aphasia / epidemiology