Aphasia in dementia of the Alzheimer type

Cummings, Jeffrey L. MD
Benson, D. Frank MD
Hill, Mary Ann PhD
Read, Stephen MD

Neurobehavior Unit, West Los Angeles VAMC (Brentwood Division) and Neurobehavior Training Program, Department of Neurology (Drs. Cummings, Benson, and Read), UCLA School of Medicine; the Department of Research and Development (Dr. Hill), West Los Angeles VAMC (Brentwood Division); and the Section of Neuropsychogeriatries, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Dr. Read), UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA.

Address correspondence to Dr. Cummings, West Los Angeles VAMC (Brentwood Division), Neurobehavior Unit Ward 256b, 11301 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90073.

Supported by the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association and by the Veterans Administration. Dr. Read was supported by the Kaiser Foundation and by an NIMH training grant (MH 16590).

Accepted for publication July 17,1984.

Neurology 35(3):p 394-397, March 1985.

Article abstract

Speech and language assessment in 30 patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type and in 70 normal controls revealed that all Alzheimer patients were aphasic. Throughout most of the course, the language disorder resembled transcortical sensory aphasia, and increasing language impairment correlated with increasing severity of dementia. Aphasia was present regardless of age of onset or family history of dementia. Aphasia is an important diagnostic criterion of dementia of the Alzheimer type.