Primary Progressive Aphasia - The National Aphasia Association

What is Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) and Primary Progressive Apraxia of Speech (PPAOS)?

• PPA is a brain condition that affects the parts of the brain used for language. It can impact one or more areas: speaking, understanding, reading, writing.
• PPAOS is a brain condition that affects that part of the brain used to produce speech. It impacts the ability to plan the movements needed to make speech sounds.
• PPA and PPAOS are neurodegenerative diseases, which means that it impacts the neurons in the brain and gets worse over time.
• PPA starts in the language area of the brain, and eventually spreads to other areas.
• PPAOS starts in the speech production area of the brain, and eventually spreads to other areas. 
• In the later stages of PPA and PPAOS people can develop difficulties with memory, planning and organizing, controlling body movements, and may cause personality changes.
• There is currently no cure for PPA or PPAOS.

Download the PDF: What is PPA

How are PPA and PPAOS related to dementia?

• The term dementia means that there are cognitive or language impairments that become worse over time and that the impairments impact a person’s activities of daily life.
• PPA and PPAOS develops into dementia.
• PPA and PPAOS are caused by different types of protein tangles in the brain. The protein tangles are caused by frontotemporal degeneration or alzheimer’s disease. 
  • Nonfluent/agrammatic PPA (nfvPPA), semantic PPA (svPPA) and PPAOS are usually caused by frontotemporal degeneration protein tangles. 
  • Logopenic PPA is usually caused by Alzheimer’s disease protein tangles. 
• The first symptoms of PPA and PPAOS are a result of where the disease starts in the brain.

Download the PDF: How is PPA like dementia

Are there any treatments for people with PPA?

There is no cure for PPA, but some services and medications can help manage some of the symptoms of PPA. 

• Medicines: Doctors may prescribe medications to help with some of the symptoms that come with PPA.
  • Medicines for anxiety and depression are often recommended to people with PPA. These can help mood and other issues in PPA. 
  • For people with logopenic PPA, doctors can prescribe certain memory drugs used for Alzheimer’s dementia. These drugs are not used with types of PPA caused by frontotemporal dementia (nfvPPA and svPPA), except in very rare cases, because they may make problems worse. 
• Non-medicine services: It is important that a team of professionals with a lot of PPA knowledge work together to help the person with PPA and their family members. 
  • Social workers consider the mental and social factors that impact the person with PPA or PPAOS and their families. They can connect you with local resources, counseling, disease education and care partner training and support.
  • Speech-language pathologists (aka speech therapists) work with people with PPA and PPAOS and their families to understand the disease, how it impacts communication, and develop strategies to maximize communication in daily life. 
    • Speech therapy is for the person with PPA or PPAOS and their families. It is important to include family in speech therapy sessions so that they can learn how to support communication over time. They also learn to problem solve communication issues as things change over time. 
    • Speech therapy can help you improve your communication, and helps you keep your communication stronger for longer.
    • Speech therapy should always be personalized to target words and sentences used in the person’s daily life. Generic exercises do not have a place in speech therapy for PPA.
    • Compensatory tools may be developed to support communication. Paper-based tools, like a communication book, can be useful to anyone with PPA or PPAOS. High-tech tools like tablets and smart phones work for some people with PPA or PPAOS. 
    • After your first round of speech therapy, it is important for you and your family to visit your speech therapist every six months or so. Another round of therapy may be recommended as PPA progresses so that you and your family can learn new strategies to help communication. 
  • Occupational therapists and physical therapists may help with home safety, mobility, and activities of daily living.

Additional therapies: Support groups, intergenerational therapy, art therapy, music therapy, pet therapy, and others may all be considered, depending on the individual’s interests.

Download the PDF: Treatment of PPA

En Español, Afasia primaria progresiva

Should I get involved in research on PPA or PPAOS?

Participating in research is always voluntary, and is a very personal choice. Some research on PPA and PPAOS can directly benefit you by giving you access to therapies or medicines that scientists believe may be helpful. All research on PPA and PPAOS helps people in the future who may get PPA or PPAOS by helping doctors understand how the disease works and what treatments may help. There are different types of research studies.

• “Observational” or “natural history” studies are used to watch and learn how the disease progresses over time. Scientists try to measure and understand PPA and PPAOS so they can figure out why it happens and what they can do about it. These studies collect different types of measurements such as psychological tests, brain scans or lab tests.
• “Treatment” or “interventional” studies and “clinical trials” are used to test a specific medicine or therapy that doctors and scientists think might help. These types of studies take measurements before and after giving you a treatment.

Learn more about getting involved in research