1 - A Case of the Isolation of the Language Function

Abstract

This chapter presents a case of the isolation of the language function. It discusses the Alzheimer's and Pick's diseases because of their relevance to the case presented. Alzheimer's disease and Pick's disease, although pathologically distinct, resemble each other in their clinical manifestations, and the criteria to separate these diseases on the basis of clinical or neuroradiological features are considered impossible or extremely difficult. Anxiety, depression, restlessness, sleep disorders, and hallucinations comprise some of the initial symptoms. In the early stages, the serious defect concerns memory, particularly memory for recent events, but eventually, all intellectual functions are affected. The impairment of intellectual functions becomes the dominant feature of the clinical picture and might be accompanied by loss of spontaneity and indolence or by purposeless hyperactivity. Several investigations have been carried out to determine whether genetic factors play a role in Alzheimer's and Pick's diseases. Diagnosis on the basis of clinical features in both diseases is difficult.