Longitudinal assessment of Language and reading in a case of corticobasal syndrome

Corticobasal syndrome (CBS) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by an asymmetric extrapyramidal disorder with progressive asymmetric apraxia, rigidity, and cognitive impairment in frontal and parietal domains, including executive dysfunction, social disorder, and higher-order visual processing deficits. Due to its relative rarity and since, in many cases, the diagnosis can only be made after many years of evolution, little is known about language impariments in CBS. Most studies in the domain are cross-sectional, except for the case report by Tree and Kay (2008) which presented data on the evolution of memory and language in one man with CBS over a two-year period. That study revealed substantial impairments in episodic memory, semantic memory, naming, and some aspects of reading and spelling. The authors drew attention to the presence of impairments in non owrd reading and spelling that needed further investigation to determine if they constitute key features of CBS.

, 2011