Memory Resilience in Alzheimer Disease With Primary Progressive Aphasia.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To determine whether memory is preserved longitudinally in primary progressive aphasia (PPA) associated with Alzheimer disease (AD) and to identify potential factors that maintain memory despite underlying neurofibrillary degeneration of mediotemporal memory areas.

Methods

Longitudinal memory assessment was done in 17 patients with PPA with autopsy or biomarker evidence of AD (PPA-AD) and 14 patients with amnestic dementia of the Alzheimer type with AD at autopsy (DAT-AD).

Results

In PPA-AD, episodic memory, tested with nonverbal items, was preserved at the initial testing and showed no decline at retesting 2.35 ± 0.78 years later, at which time symptoms had been present for 6.26 ± 2.21 years. In contrast, language functions declined significantly during the

SUBMITTER: Mesulam MM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8105903 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature