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Language dysfunction in early- and late-onset possible Alzheimer's disease

From the Division of Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurology (Dr. Seines, Ms. Carson, and Dr. Gordon), Department of Psychology (Dr. Gordon), and Department of Psychiatry (Dr. Rovner), The Johns Hopkins University and School of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD.

Disproportionate involvement of language has been claimed to be a distinguishing feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD) with onset before age 65. We tested this hypothesis in a group of 133 patients with possible AD by NINCDS criteria. Sixty-one had onset of symptoms prior to age 65; the remaining 72, at 65 or later. The two groups were well matched on overall dementia severity as measured by the Mini-Mental State Exam. Using standardized tests, we did not find any significant differences in the severity of language dysfunction between the two groups, particularly after controlling for greater attention/ concentration deficits in the early-onset group. Previous reports of differences in language dysfunction between early- and late-onset AD may have been due to small sample sizes and nonstandardized testing.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Selnes, Division of Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurology, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, 600 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205.

Received August 27,1987. Accepted for publication in final form November 19,1987.

Supported by the NIA Alzheimer's Disease Research Center grant #1P50 AG05146 (Dr. Donald Price, PI) and by NINCDS Teacher-Investigator Award 1 KO7 NS00721 to B.G.

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