Production of morphologically derived words in the semantic variant of primary progressive aphasia: preserved decomposition and composition but impaired validation

Neurocase. 2016;22(2):170-8. doi: 10.1080/13554794.2015.1081391. Epub 2015 Aug 25.

Abstract

Although there is growing interest in inflectional morphology in semantic variant primary progressive aphasia (svPPA), derivational morphology has rarely been studied in this population. This study reports the performance of N.G., a 72-year-old-woman with svPPA in a verb production task designed to entail morphological processing (composition, decomposition) and self-appraisal of her productions. N.G. demonstrated an over-reliance on morphological processing and failures in her appraisal of root/affix combinations that resulted in the production of morphological paraphasias and neologisms. Her performance in lexical decision of verbs and pseudo-verbs points to the involvement of semantic impairment in these difficulties.

Keywords: Semantic variant of primary progressive aphasia; derivation; lexical decision; morphology; verb production.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aphasia, Primary Progressive / complications*
  • Cognition Disorders / etiology*
  • Comprehension
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Language Tests
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Self Concept*
  • Semantics*
  • Verbal Learning / physiology
  • Vocabulary*