Rehabilitation and Prophylaxis of Anomia in Primary Progressive Aphasia

The goal of this study is to remediate word-finding problems in patients who have Primary
Progressive Aphasia (PPA) or Alzheimer's Disease and to delay the further progression of
word-finding impairment. The current approach is novel in that it contains a prophylaxis
component in which the investigators attempt to strengthen neural connections that remain
functional, making them more resistant to degradation as the disease progresses. While the
study is specific in its targeting of word-finding problems, a successful outcome would bode
well for other studies aimed at prevention or reversal of declining cognitive functions in
dementia. One set of participants with PPA will receive practice with picture naming in two
conditions: viewing the picture and repeating the name; and viewing the picture with its
written name, plus reading and writing the name. Another set of participants with PPA or
Alzheimer's Disease will be trained in two different conditions: learning about the word's
semantic features (meaning); and learning about the word's lexical features (letters and
sounds). Naming of pictures trained in each of these conditions will be compared, at three
time intervals post-training, with naming of pictures tested before the study but never
trained. It is predicted that the pairing of the picture with its written name, combined with
the motor task of writing the name, will result in a greater ability to name the picture at a
later date than simple practice viewing the picture and repeating the name. Furthermore, it
is predicted that participants who have difficulty understanding concepts will be more likely
to respond to semantic treatment, while participants who have difficulty connecting words
with concepts will be more likely to respond to lexical treatment.