A duck with four legs: Investigating the structure of conceptual knowledge using picture drawing in semantic dementia

In Study 1, six patients with semantic dementia were asked to produce drawings of concrete concepts from dictation of their names. The drawings were characterised by a loss of distinctive features. In the artefact domain, this feature loss resulted in representations that were increasingly box-like. In the living domain, as well as distinctive features being lost, there was a tendency for patients to include incorrect features that resulted in more familiar and "prototypical" representations. A second study included two further conditions in the drawing assessment: immediate and delayed copying of line drawings of concrete concepts. Analysis of the drawings produced by three patients with semantic dementia confirmed that overall performance was significantly influenced by the task condition (immediate delayed) and severity of disease. The rate of intruding features, but not of omitted ones, was influenced by the domain of the item, with a greater proportion of intrusions in the living than in the nonliving domain. There was also a significant effect of feature distinctiveness on the proportions of these error types: Intruded features were most likely to come from the pool of properties that are shared across domain

Clinical application of CSF biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease:From rationale to ratios

Biomarker testing is recommended for the accurate and timely diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Using illustrative case narratives we consider how cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker tests may be used in different presentations of cognitive impairment to facilitate timely and differential diagnosis, improving diagnostic accuracy, providing prognostic information, and guiding personalized management in diverse scenarios. Evidence shows that (1) CSF ratios are superior to amyloid beta (Aβ)1‐42 alone; (2) concordance of CSF ratios to amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) is better than Aβ1‐42 alone; and (3) phosphorylated tau (p‐tau)/Aβ1‐42 ratio is superior to p‐tau alone. CSF biomarkers are recommended for the exclusion of AD as the underlying cause of cognitive impairment, diagnosis of AD at an early stage, differential diagnosis of AD in individuals presenting with other neuropsychiatric symptoms, accurate diagnosis of AD in an atypical presentation, and for clinical trial enrichment. HIGHLIGHTS:  : Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarker testing may be underused outside specialist centers. CSF biomarkers improve diagnostic accuracy, guiding personalized management of AD. CSF ratios (amyloid beta [Aβ]1‐42/Aβ1‐40 and phosphorylated tau/Aβ1‐42) perform better than single markers. CSF ratios produce fewer false‐negative and false‐positive results than individual markers. CSF biomarkers should be included in diagnostic work‐up of AD and mild cognitive impairment due to AD

Functional neuroanatomy of speech signal decoding in primary progressive aphasias

This work was supported by the Alzheimer’s Society (AS-PG-16-007), the National Institute for Health Research University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre (CBRC 161), the UCL Leonard Wolfson Experimental Neurology Centre (PR/ ylr/18575), and the Economic and Social Research Council (ES/ K006711/1). Individual authors were supported by the Medical Research Council (PhD Studentship to CJDH; MRC Clinician Scientist Fellowship to JDR), the Wolfson Foundation (Clinical Research Fellowship to CRM), the National Brain AppealeFrontotemporal Dementia Research Fund (CNC), Alzheimer’s Research UK (ARTSRF2010-3 to SJC), and the Wellcome Trust (091673/Z/10/Z to JDW)

The Cambridge Semantic Test Battery: Detection of semantic deficits in patients with semantic dementia and Alzheimer's disease

The aims of this study were (a) to explore the utility of, and make more widely available, an updated and extended version of the Cambridge Semantic Memory test battery, and (b) to use this battery in conjunction with other tests to characterise the profile of several different forms of progressive cognitive impairment: semantic dementia (SD, n?=?15), mild cognitive impairment (MCI, n?=?7), established Alzheimer's disease (AD) (n?=?8), all in comparison to normal controls (n?=?45). The semantic battery is useful in a variety of ways for exploring the nature of semantic deficits; on its own, however, it does not provide sensitive differentiation between patients with AD and SD. An assessment including measures of episodic memory and visuospatial abilities as well as the semantic battery is recommended for good characterisation of the cognitive profiles associated with SD and AD