Behavioral and Pharmacological Treatment of Lexical-Semantic Deficits in a Single Patient With Primary Progressive Aphasia

In the context of a hybrid multiple-baseline design, this study demonstrated the positive effects of a behavioral + pharmacological (dextroamphetamine) treatment for lexical-semantic deficits in an individual with primary progressive aphasia (PPA). Behavioral treatment entailed application of a cuing hierarchy to predicative adjectives in order to facilitate lexical retrieval. Treatment was effective for both antonym and synonym adjectives, although extended practice was required to achieve criterion. Generalization to nontreated adjectives, verbs, and prepositions was observed, and maintenance was difficult to disambiguate from the progressive nature of the disease. It was proposed that the mechanisms of activation and inhibition were responsible for improved performance. Differential effects between behavioral and behavioral + pharmacological treatment were not observed.

Key Words: progressive aphasia, pharmacotherapy, adjective naming, lexical-semantic, treatment

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