Syndromes of language dissolution in aging and dementia.

This article has reviewed the language deterioration of aging, dementia, and the syndrome of primary progressive aphasia. Language deterioration is generally mild in normal aging but is a universal accompaniment of dementing diseases. Isolated, progressive language disturbance, especially nonfluent aphasia, is the hallmark of the syndrome called ¿Primary Progressive Aphasia¿ or PPA. The language findings in these patients illustrate that distinctions between focal and generalized brain disease are difficult. Much remains to be learned about the spectrum of diseases that can produce progressive aphasia. The discovery of biological or genetic markers for these diseases is likely to lead to a better understanding of their behavioral characteristics.