At a Loss for Words, or Losing Your Mind? New Views on Language Problems in Aging
At a Loss for Words, or Losing Your Mind? New Views on Language Problems in Aging
Sunday, February 14, 2016: 3:00 PM-4:30 PM
Marshall Ballroom North (Marriott Wardman Park)
Researchers are only recently becoming aware of the growing incidence of primary progressive aphasia (PPA), a disorder that insidiously mimics features of dementia yet leaves its victims “locked in” with limited communication but intact cognition. This session presents new findings in PPA, how to recognize it, how to help PPA patients, and new hope for its prevention. Specifically, the symposium demonstrates how neuroimaging profiles can inform both diagnosis and course of decline. Some apparently cognitive and language problems or language loss are in fact speech production constraints or acquired disorders. Further, hearing loss, which is able to be addressed, is now known to contribute to cognitive decline. Future opportunities to improve the outlook for patients with dementia, PPA, and related disorders are described.
Organizer:
Margaret Rogers, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Co-Organizer:
Nan Bernstein Ratner, University of Maryland, College Park
Moderator:
Margaret Rogers, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Discussant:
Keith Josephs, Mayo Clinic
Speakers: