[A 62-year-old woman presenting with progressive nonfluent aphasia, apraxia of eyelid opening, supranuclear gaze palsy, and asymmetric rigidity]

Brain Nerve. 2011 Aug;63(8):884-9.
[Article in Japanese]

Abstract

A 62-year-old woman presented with difficulty in speaking and difficulty in opening her eyes. A neurological examination revealed progressive nonfluent aphasia (PNFA), apraxia of eyelid opening, supranuclear vertical gaze palsy, and mild asymmetric rigidity. The diagnosis was difficult to establish because of unusual clinical features, and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) was considered. The results from recent studies suggest a positive association between PNFA and a diagnosis of corticobasal degeneration (CBD) or PSP, even in mild parkinsonism cases. The overlapping clinical, genetic, and pathological features of CBD and PSP have also been recently recognized. However, in Japan, there have been few reports evaluating the clinical features of CBD or PSP accompanied by primary progressive aphasia. We report the case of our patient and compare the clinical features of our patient with those of Japanese patients with CBD or PSP accompanied by primary progressive aphasia; moreover we discuss clues that can lead to the correct clinical diagnosis of patients with primary progressive aphasia and parkinsonism comorbidities.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • English Abstract
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Apraxias / complications*
  • Eyelids / physiopathology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • Muscle Rigidity / complications*
  • Ocular Motility Disorders / complications*
  • Parkinsonian Disorders / complications
  • Primary Progressive Nonfluent Aphasia / complications*