Language disorders in degenerative dementias

Background Progressive selective deterioration of language is caused by cerebral lesions involved in processes of language elaboration and is characteristic of several forms of dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Frontemporal dementia (FTD), that are neurodegenerative dementia and epidemiologically relevant. AD language disturbances are characterized by difficulties in word selection: language becomes impaired, simple and often lacking of syntactic structures. In the Frontotemporal lobar degeneration spectrum, the language disorder is a key symptom not only for FTD, but also of two specific forms that are Primary Progressive Aphasia and Semantic Dementia. Language disorder is characterised by reduction of verbal initiative evolving towards a complete mutism. Echolalia and perseveration are frequently observed. In a calabrian population in which FTD is highly prevalent [1], FTD patients have been identified as carriers or non carriers of the Progranulin (GRN) c.1145insA mutation [2]. The patients groups (GRN+ e GRN-) were compared with respect to the language disturbances and age at onset.