CONy 2021 | Verbal skills and neurodegeneration

Adolfo Garcia, PhD, University of San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina, discusses how understanding linguistic disturbances can inform diagnostic, prognostic of neurogenerative diseases. It is improbable that any form of neurodegeneration will not impact linguistic dimensions. Linguistic deficits are present in the prodromal stages of various neurodegenerative diseases and are good predictors of non-linguistic symptoms severity, such as motor disturbances in Parkinson’s disease. To have a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of neurodegeneration, it would be critical not to restrict research on language dysfunction to those diseases that are primarily characterized by linguistic deficits but to have a more inclusive approach. This interview was recorded during an online conference call with The Video Journal of Neurology (VJNeurology).