Abstract
We report a patient with the progressive aphasia syndrome strongly considered to have Alzheimer's disease. His major initial manifestation was an anomic aphasia characterized by difficulty in finding names for objects. In short, he exhibited Broca's aphasia. Examination five years after onset showed total aphasia. Nevertheless auditory comprehension of high frequency vocabulary and his emotional state were still preserved. No changes in character and personality have been seen to date, and visual cognitive function is intact.
CT scanning disclosed a focal left perisylvian atrophy in the early stage. SPECT revealed left frontal and temporal hypoperfusion in the first year. During subsequent years, however, it showed marked hypoperfusion of the left hemisphere, with later involvement of the right hemisphere except for the occipital lobe.
SPECT can visualize lesions earlier and correlates well with clinical features. Therefore, it is a very useful method for imaging the disturbance of characteristic cognitive.
