Common Pattern of Language Impairment in Vascular Dementia and in Alzheimer Disease

Abstract

The authors studied language performance patterns in early stages of vascular dementia and Alzheimer disease. The objective was to clarify to what extent dissolution of language in vascular dementia is similar to that in Alzheimer disease. Both structured language tests (comprehension, repetition, reading, and naming tasks) and nonstructured language tests (object and picture description) were employed. The structured tasks evidenced impairment on complex auditory comprehension and on picture naming for both dementia groups, whereas oral reading and single word repetition did not differentiate the patients from matched control subjects. On the unstructured narrative tasks, both patient groups showed normal fluency, but content analysis revealed that the patients with dementia produced fewer semantic units (themes) than the control subjects. In summary, both patient groups showed impairment, specifically on semantically mediated language tasks. According to the present results, language impairment in vascular dementia resembles that observed in Alzheimer disease. Semantically mediated functions are among the most sensitive language measures in differentiating early stages of both vascular dementia and Alzheimer disease from normal aging.

Cognitive Functioning in Preclinical Vascular Dementia

“…This is in accordance with previous findings that relatively passive language operations are well preserved in the early clinical stages of VaD. 17 The incident VaD group showed no MMSE impairment at baseline, after which decline was relatively rapid. However, the lack of significant cognitive deficits 6 years before diagnosis might be partly attributable to power problems because the VaD group was relatively small.…”

Processing Metaphors in the Elderly: Does Valence Matter?

“…Reitz et al, 2007, discussed in Carvalho, Barreto, Guerra, & Côrtes Gama, 2009). There is evidence of subcortical ischaemic vascular dementia causing difficulties in semantic processing (Vuorinen et al, 2000, discussed in Carvalho et al, 2009 and deficits in working memory and executive functions (review in Gawron & Łojek, 2014) as well.…”

Cognitive Decline in Dementia with Special Focus on Language Impairments

“…Table 1 below provides an outline of the key language impairments in the main types of dementia. Vuorinen et al (2000) claim that language disorders in the early phases of vascular dementia are similar to those in Alzheimer's disease, particularly as far as the semantic aspects are concerned. The core factor is the age (Liu, 2015).…”