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The semantic memory deficit in Alzheimer s disease

J.T. Becker, A.A. Overman [REV NEUROL 2002;35:777-783] PMID: 12402233 DOI: https://doi.org/10.33588/rn.3508.2001261

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Volumen 35 | Number 08 | Nº of views of the article 33.668 | Nº of PDF downloads 2.369 | Article publication date 16/10/2002

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ABSTRACT

Introduction and development. Although the loss of episodic memory is considered one of the the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), it is by no means the only memory dysfunction suffered by these patients. Perhaps equally important in terms of functional adaptation is the loss of, what Tulving referred, semantic memory. Semantic memory is that information necessary for language, a ‘mental diccionary’ including not only lexical information (i.e., word meaning and concepts) but also facts and general world knowledge. There is a debate in the field of cognitive psychology regarding semantic memory, deficits in AD; whether there is an actual defect in semantic memory, or this is related to a disruption of the information accessing process. Neuroimaging studies have shown that the basis of the semantic memory defect is localized in the temporal and frontal lobes. Conclusions. The inferior temporal lobe, and perhaps more importantly, the parahippocampal gyrus, is critical for the ability to successfully name objects. However, the ability to retrieve name of objects appears to be associated with the frontal lobes. KeywordsAlzheimer’s disease MRI Neuropsychology Semantic memory CategoriesDemencia Neurodegeneración Neuropsicología

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The semantic memory deficit in Alzheimer s disease