Measuring language & praxis in neurodegeneratve disease
Neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) are characterized by progressive dysfunction and loss of neurons associated with pathologically altered proteins that deposit in the human brain leading to distinct involvement of functional systems defining clinical presentations. The prevailing hypothesis is that different pathologies reflect different disease mechanisms. The ability to predict which underlying abnormal proteins and mechanisms are causing the external clinical phenotype is critical due to the advent of new treatments targeting specific molecules. Advancing knowledge of clinical-pathological correlations through careful phenotyping of clinical symptoms is key for improving the ability to predict the underlying pathology. This is the overall goal of the work I will present in which we have analyzed different components of language and praxis function with the aim of evaluating their potential as diagnostic biomarkers as well as advancing knowledge of cerebral structure-function relationships.
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