Executive Profile of the Logopenic Variant of Primary Progressive Aphasia: Comparison with the Semantic and Non-Fluent Variants and Alzheimer's Disease.

The logopenic variant of primary progressive aphasia (lvPPA) shows different features from the non-fluent (nfvPPA) and semantic (svPPA) variants of PPA. Although language impairments remain the core symptoms, studies have highlighted the presence of executive disorders at the onset of the disease. Nevertheless, the results are contradictory, particularly in lvPPA. The aim of this study was to explore the executive profile of lvPPA. We compared executive functioning in lvPPA with the other two variants of PPA, Alzheimer's disease (AD) and a cognitively healthy group. In total, 70 patients with PPA, 32 patients with AD, and 41 healthy controls were included. They underwent a comprehensive executive battery assessing short-term and working memory, inhibition, flexibility, planning, and initiation. The analyses showed significant differences between the lvPPA group and the control group, except on visuospatial spans and the Stroop test, and between the lvPPA group and the other PPA groups and the AD group for several tasks. Thus, this research highlighted the existence of an executive dysfunction from the onset of the disease in lvPPA but also in the other two variants of PPA.

Assessment of implicit language and theory of mind in multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence suggests that social cognition, especially theory of mind (ToM), is impaired in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). ToM appears to be a determining factor for social functioning, but research has shown a connection between ToM and pragmatic language disorders among people with neurological or psychiatric disorders. Yet, pragmatic language remains a domain rarely referenced in MS. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effect of MS in terms of the ability for making inferences via pragmatic understanding and ToM. METHODS: We included 21 individuals with MS and 21 healthy controls matched for age, education and linguistic skills who performed verbal tasks involving pragmatic language (Implicit Information Management Test, Narrative Discourse Task), ToM (Test of Social Faux Pas) and a visual task of making inferences (Visual Inferences Test). RESULTS: Performance was significantly lower for individuals with MS than controls in the Test of Social Faux Pas (total score), but performance in pragmatic tasks did not differ. Performance was significantly lower for MS individuals for logical inference on the Implicit Information Management Test and pragmatic inference on the Visual Inferences Test. Additionally, for the MS group, the total score on the Implicit Information Management Test was correlated with the faux pas test total score and hits. CONCLUSION: Even with lack of marked cognitive decline and disability in individuals with MS and lack of differences between groups in pragmatic tasks, the MS group showed lower performance in making inferences and interpreting implicit and social situations. This study highlights the link between pragmatic language and ToM difficulties in MS.