Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Aphasia?SymptomsTypes and CausesPreventionDiagnosisTreatmentImproving Communication
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is Aphasia?
Symptoms
Types and Causes
Prevention
Diagnosis
Treatment
Improving Communication
Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) may develop in people with Alzheimer’s disease. Aphasia is an impairment of speech and language comprehension which also affects the ability to read and write. Gradual brain degeneration resulting from certain forms of dementia, like Alzheimer’s disease, can cause PPA to develop.
In Alzheimer’s disease, PPA often begins gradually with word-finding problems, including difficulty choosing or recalling the right word. Over time, PPA affects a person’s ability to express themselves and interact socially and professionally.
Primary progressive aphasiais a type of dementia that may result from a neurodegenerative disease, like Alzheimer’s. PPA is a neurological disorder that starts gradually with word-finding, naming, and pronunciation issues and advances to comprehension, reading, and writing problems. The ability to speak may eventually be lost.
Aphasia can manifest with difficulty in comprehension and/or expression. Aphasia that’s associated with dementia includes word-finding problems. It may cause a person to hesitate at length, and mentally search for the right word before speaking.
Alternatively, when they try to speak, they may use an incorrect word that starts with the same letter of the desired word (“floor” instead of “flower” or “sack” instead of “sand”). Or they may describe what the word means (“You know, the thing on the wall with the numbers and the time”).
Word-finding aphasia may manifest with:
Otherearly signs of Alzheimer’s dementiacan appear along with aphasia. These signs include forgetfulness, confusion, emotional outbursts, personality changes, and a sudden lack of inhibition.
When to Seek Medical Help
Many adults can relate to the feeling of being unable to retrieve a word. They may call it a “brain jam” or “brain fog.” But if you’ve noticed this happening to a loved one with greater frequency, start taking note of when and how often it occurs. Does it happen when they’re tired, multitasking, or extremely stressed? Or does it occur when they’re calm and relaxed?
If you see a pattern that is truly interfering with their ability to communicate effectively, it may be helpful to ask a mutual acquaintance if they’ve noticed any changes in your loved one’s behavior before consulting a healthcare provider.
Aphasia occurs when areas of the brain that control language are damaged, making it difficult to speak, read, and write. The four main types of aphasia include:
With dementia, impairment of semantic memory (the memory for understanding and recognizing words) is a significant contributor to word-finding difficulties.
Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA)
Subtypes of Primary Progressive Aphasia
Primary progressive aphasia is divided into three subtypes:
Someone with PPA may display characteristics of more than one subtype.
Exercise MattersGrowing evidence suggests that exercise can help “prevent and treat communication and cognitive impairments related to poststroke aphasia.”
Exercise Matters
Growing evidence suggests that exercise can help “prevent and treat communication and cognitive impairments related to poststroke aphasia.”
While word-finding aphasia is a common symptom of early-stage Alzheimer’s disease, your healthcare provider will ask about all your loved one’s symptoms and may want to speak with additional family members.
In bilingual people, aphasia affects second-language skills before it begins to affect first-language skills.
A healthcare provider will consider your loved one’s baseline language ability during an initial assessment. For example, your loved one would be expected to demonstrate familiarity with words in their field of work. Forgetting words that they’ve presumably used often and easily could be a warning sign of dementia or aphasia. The evaluation might also include:
Multiple SAGE Answers PossibleUnlike traditional tests that you may remember from school, there are multiple correct answers to some questions on the SAGE test.A healthcare provider should score a SAGE test.
Multiple SAGE Answers Possible
Unlike traditional tests that you may remember from school, there are multiple correct answers to some questions on the SAGE test.A healthcare provider should score a SAGE test.
Treatment for aphasia involves a multidisciplinary approach that might call for medication and therapy. A healthcare provider can prescribemedication for the treatment of dementia, which may help slow the progression of the disease.
Research ContinuesResearchers are studying two types of brain stimulation—transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation—to help improve recall ability.
Research Continues
Researchers are studying two types of brain stimulation—transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation—to help improve recall ability.
Caring for Someone With Aphasia
It isn’t easy to care for or even be in the presence of someone whose communication skills are faltering. Being patient and supportive is your best coping strategy. For example:
Summary
Aphasia occurs when areas of the brain that control language are damaged. This impairs the ability to speak and understand. The symptoms often include an inability to understand spoken or written words and difficulty speaking or writing,
The four main types of aphasia include expressive aphasia (someone knows what they want to say but has trouble saying or writing it); receptive aphasia (when someone hears a voice or sees the print but can’t make sense of the words); anomic aphasia (difficulty using the correct word for objects, places, or events); and global aphasia (when someone cannot speak, understand speech, read, or write).
Prevention and treatment for aphasia involve a multidisciplinary approach that might call for medication and therapy.
10 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Northwestern Medicine - Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease.Symptoms & Causes of PPA.MedlinePlus.Aphasia.Younes K, Borghesani V, Montembeault M, et al.Right temporal degeneration and socioemotional semantics: semantic behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia.Brain. 2022;145(11):4080-4096. doi:10.1093/brain/awac217Neils-Strunjas J, Gore JSL, Dietz A, Wiatr M, Thompson D.Mind–body practices and exercise in the rehabilitation of poststroke aphasia, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia.Perspect ASHA SIGs. November 2024:1-6. doi:10.1044/2024_PERSP-23-00290Pas MT, Olde Rikkert M, Bouwman A, Kessels R, Buise M.Screening for Mild Cognitive Impairment in the Preoperative Setting: A Narrative Review.Healthcare (Basel). 2022;10(6):1112. Published 2022 Jun 15. doi:10.3390/healthcare10061112The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.SAGE: A test to detect signs of Alzheimer’s and dementia.Passeri E, Elkhoury K, Morsink M, et al.Alzheimer’s Disease: Treatment Strategies and Their Limitations.Int J Mol Sci. 2022;23(22):13954. Published 2022 Nov 12. doi:10.3390/ijms232213954Camacho-Conde JA, Gonzalez-Bermudez MDR, Carretero-Rey M, Khan ZU.Brain stimulation: a therapeutic approach for the treatment of neurological disorders.CNS Neurosci Ther. 2022;28(1):5-18. doi:10.1111/cns.13769National Institute on Aging.Communicating with someone who has Alzheimer’s disease.Network of Care for Mental/Behavioral Health of Butler County, Pennsylvania.Dementia: tips for communicating.
10 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Northwestern Medicine - Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease.Symptoms & Causes of PPA.MedlinePlus.Aphasia.Younes K, Borghesani V, Montembeault M, et al.Right temporal degeneration and socioemotional semantics: semantic behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia.Brain. 2022;145(11):4080-4096. doi:10.1093/brain/awac217Neils-Strunjas J, Gore JSL, Dietz A, Wiatr M, Thompson D.Mind–body practices and exercise in the rehabilitation of poststroke aphasia, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia.Perspect ASHA SIGs. November 2024:1-6. doi:10.1044/2024_PERSP-23-00290Pas MT, Olde Rikkert M, Bouwman A, Kessels R, Buise M.Screening for Mild Cognitive Impairment in the Preoperative Setting: A Narrative Review.Healthcare (Basel). 2022;10(6):1112. Published 2022 Jun 15. doi:10.3390/healthcare10061112The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.SAGE: A test to detect signs of Alzheimer’s and dementia.Passeri E, Elkhoury K, Morsink M, et al.Alzheimer’s Disease: Treatment Strategies and Their Limitations.Int J Mol Sci. 2022;23(22):13954. Published 2022 Nov 12. doi:10.3390/ijms232213954Camacho-Conde JA, Gonzalez-Bermudez MDR, Carretero-Rey M, Khan ZU.Brain stimulation: a therapeutic approach for the treatment of neurological disorders.CNS Neurosci Ther. 2022;28(1):5-18. doi:10.1111/cns.13769National Institute on Aging.Communicating with someone who has Alzheimer’s disease.Network of Care for Mental/Behavioral Health of Butler County, Pennsylvania.Dementia: tips for communicating.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Northwestern Medicine - Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease.Symptoms & Causes of PPA.MedlinePlus.Aphasia.Younes K, Borghesani V, Montembeault M, et al.Right temporal degeneration and socioemotional semantics: semantic behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia.Brain. 2022;145(11):4080-4096. doi:10.1093/brain/awac217Neils-Strunjas J, Gore JSL, Dietz A, Wiatr M, Thompson D.Mind–body practices and exercise in the rehabilitation of poststroke aphasia, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia.Perspect ASHA SIGs. November 2024:1-6. doi:10.1044/2024_PERSP-23-00290Pas MT, Olde Rikkert M, Bouwman A, Kessels R, Buise M.Screening for Mild Cognitive Impairment in the Preoperative Setting: A Narrative Review.Healthcare (Basel). 2022;10(6):1112. Published 2022 Jun 15. doi:10.3390/healthcare10061112The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.SAGE: A test to detect signs of Alzheimer’s and dementia.Passeri E, Elkhoury K, Morsink M, et al.Alzheimer’s Disease: Treatment Strategies and Their Limitations.Int J Mol Sci. 2022;23(22):13954. Published 2022 Nov 12. doi:10.3390/ijms232213954Camacho-Conde JA, Gonzalez-Bermudez MDR, Carretero-Rey M, Khan ZU.Brain stimulation: a therapeutic approach for the treatment of neurological disorders.CNS Neurosci Ther. 2022;28(1):5-18. doi:10.1111/cns.13769National Institute on Aging.Communicating with someone who has Alzheimer’s disease.Network of Care for Mental/Behavioral Health of Butler County, Pennsylvania.Dementia: tips for communicating.
Northwestern Medicine - Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease.Symptoms & Causes of PPA.
MedlinePlus.Aphasia.
Younes K, Borghesani V, Montembeault M, et al.Right temporal degeneration and socioemotional semantics: semantic behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia.Brain. 2022;145(11):4080-4096. doi:10.1093/brain/awac217
Neils-Strunjas J, Gore JSL, Dietz A, Wiatr M, Thompson D.Mind–body practices and exercise in the rehabilitation of poststroke aphasia, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia.Perspect ASHA SIGs. November 2024:1-6. doi:10.1044/2024_PERSP-23-00290
Pas MT, Olde Rikkert M, Bouwman A, Kessels R, Buise M.Screening for Mild Cognitive Impairment in the Preoperative Setting: A Narrative Review.Healthcare (Basel). 2022;10(6):1112. Published 2022 Jun 15. doi:10.3390/healthcare10061112
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.SAGE: A test to detect signs of Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Passeri E, Elkhoury K, Morsink M, et al.Alzheimer’s Disease: Treatment Strategies and Their Limitations.Int J Mol Sci. 2022;23(22):13954. Published 2022 Nov 12. doi:10.3390/ijms232213954
Camacho-Conde JA, Gonzalez-Bermudez MDR, Carretero-Rey M, Khan ZU.Brain stimulation: a therapeutic approach for the treatment of neurological disorders.CNS Neurosci Ther. 2022;28(1):5-18. doi:10.1111/cns.13769
National Institute on Aging.Communicating with someone who has Alzheimer’s disease.
Network of Care for Mental/Behavioral Health of Butler County, Pennsylvania.Dementia: tips for communicating.
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
