primary progressive aphasia

[ prahy-mer-ee pruh-gres-iv uh-fey-zhuh, prahy-muh-ree ]

noun

1. a language disorder associated with frontotemporal dementia, characterized by the gradual loss of a previously held ability to speak, write, sign, or understand language, and caused by a neurodegenerative disease: There are three subtypes of primary progressive aphasia, the first distinguished by fluent but semantically empty speech fluent variant or semantic dementia, the second by difficulty in finding words as well as by language consisting of content words but lacking grammatical elements nonfluent variant, and the third by preserved grammar but a difficulty in finding words when speaking logopenic variant. : PPA

Word History and Origins

Origin of primary progressive aphasia¹

First recorded in 1990–95

Example Sentences

She previously supported New York state Sen. Michelle Hinchey — whose father had primary progressive aphasia frontotemporal dementia — in creating an FTD registry, “so that when anyone in the state of New York is diagnosed, it gets recorded.”

From Los Angeles Times

In 2016, Mr. Durang was found to have a rare form of dementia, logopenic primary progressive aphasia.

From New York Times

The findings have implications for potentially steering neuroscience studies toward regions of the brain that process language, when investigating MCI and other forms of dementia, such as primary progressive aphasia.

From Science Daily

At the end of “The View” segment, co-host Whoopi Goldberg shared a statement from Williams’ team that she’s been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia.

From Salon

The statement said the 59-year-old’s diagnoses of primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia “have already presented significant hurdles in Wendy’s life” and have behavioral and cognitive impacts.

From Seattle Times