Cited by 46Dementia and Cognitive Impairment ResearchNeurobiology of Language and BilingualismLanguage Development and Disorders

When it is not primary progressive aphasia: A scoping review of spoken language impairment in other neurodegenerative dementias

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Suárez‐González, Aida, Cassani, Alice, Gopalan, Ragaviveka, Stott, Joshua, Savage, Sharon·2021·Alzheimer's & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Progressive difficulties with spoken language occur across the spectrum of degenerative dementia. When not a primary presenting and dominant symptom, language difficulties may be overlooked in favor of more prominent cognitive, behavior, or motor deficits. The aim of this scoping review is to examine the extent and nature of the research evidence describing (1) the spoken language impairments found in non-language led dementias, (2) their impact on everyday living, and (3) the reported language interventions. METHODS: We searched PubMed, MEDLINE, OVID-EMBASE, PsycINFO, and SpeechBITE using terms related to spoken language for the following dementia types: Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), cortico-basal syndrome (CBS), behavior variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD), posterior cortical atrophy (PCA), and motor neuron disease associated with FTD (MND+FTD). Risk of bias was assessed with the QualSyst tool. RESULTS: Seventy-three eligible studies were included. A wide range of spoken language impairments were reported, involving both linguistic (e.g., syntactic processing) and other cognitive (e.g., sustained attention) underlying mechanisms. Although the severity of these deficits was scarcely reported, in some cases they manifested as non-fluent, dynamic, and global aphasias. No papers in the review described either the impact of these language impairments on everyday living or language therapies to treat them. DISCUSSION: There is a need to understand better the level of disability produced by language impairment in people living with non-language-led dementias. Our findings suggest three calls for action: (1) research studies should assess the clinical relevance of any spoken language deficits examined, (2) both linguistic and cognitive underlying mechanisms should be fully described (to inform the design of effective language and behavioral interventions), and (3) trials of language therapy should be conducted in those groups of individuals where significant language impairment is proved.

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  • Recent works underscore the broad clinical utility of speech and language testing in these and other neurodegenerative disorders, even if many deficits are secondary to broader motoric or cognitive dysfunction.

    “However, recent works underscore the broad clinical utility of speech and language testing in these 4,6 and other 140 neurodegenerative disor ders, even if many deficits are secondary to broader motoric or cogni tive dysfunction.”

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Authors
Suárez‐González, A., Cassani, A., Gopalan, R., Stott, J., & Savage, S.
Affiliations
  • Dementia Research Centre UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology University College London London UK
  • University of Exeter (GB)
  • University College London (GB)
  • University of Newcastle Australia (AU)
Venue
Alzheimer's & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2021-01
Volume
7
Issue
1
Pages
e12205-e12205
ISSN
2352-8737 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3198110134
Cited by
46
References
98
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 1
FWCI
1.34
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Alzheimer s & Dementia Translational Research & Clinical Interventions (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion)
  • NOVA (University of Newcastle Australia) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • Dunhill Medical Trust
  • Economic and Social Research Council (ES/S010467/1)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Language Development and Disorders
Keywords
neurodegenerative dementia, Parkinson's disease dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, progressive supranuclear palsy, early-onset Alzheimer's disease, posterior cortical atrophy, global aphasia, non-fluent aphasia, syntactic processing, sustained attention, language intervention

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