AFASIA PRIMARIA PROGRESSIVA: ASPETTI CLINICI NEUROPSICOLOGICI E LORO CORRELAZIONE CON BIOMARCATORI LIQUORALI E DI NEUROIMMAGINI

Abstract Background: Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration FTLD is a progressive neurodegenerative syndrome, clinically and pathologically heterogeneus. FTLD includes a behavioural variant (bvFTD) and three linguistic variants (non fluent/agrammatic, semantic and logopenic variant) of primary progressive aphasia (PPA). In 2011 a Consensus Conference established new guidelines to the variants, using neuroimaging (PET/RM), neuropsychological profiles and biomarker/pathologic characteristic. Method: In our study we analyzed neuropsychology, neuroimaging and biomarkers profiles of 28 PPA patients from our centre. Aim of the study is to value the impact of new criteria for PPA in neuropsychological testing and to correlate it with neuroimaging and pathological examination. In particular, for the language examination we assessed naming, agrammatism, apraxia of speech, comprehension and ripetition, writing and reading abilities. Statistical analysis include Pearson correlation and t-test. Results: we find correlation of ripetition deficit in subject with parietal atrophy/hypometabolism; agrammatism and apraxia of speech prevalent in frontal atrophy/hypometabolism patients; naming deficit in left-temporal atrophy/hypometabolism patient with an AD pathology revealed with biomarker analysis. Conclusions: Gorno-Tempini criteria for PPA are a good instrument to classify PPA patient, creating three different and defined profiles about neuropsychological, neuroimaging and pathology aspects.