1. (What) can patients with semantic dementia learn?
- Author
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Shebani Z and Patterson K
- Subjects
- Humans, Learning, Memory, Mental Recall, Semantics, Neuropsychological Tests, Frontotemporal Dementia complications, Neurodegenerative Diseases
- Abstract
Semantic Dementia (SD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterised by progressive deterioration of semantic knowledge, resulting in diminished understanding of concepts, whether encountered in verbal or non-verbal form. Over the past three decades, a number of studies employing a range of treatment techniques and learning methods have examined whether patients with SD can relearn previously known concepts or learn and retain new information. In this article, we review this research, addressing two main questions: a) Can aspects of semantic knowledge that are 'lost' due to degeneration be re-acquired? b) How much do other memory systems (working and episodic memory) interact with and depend on semantic memory? Several studies demonstrate successful relearning of previously known words and concepts in SD, particularly after regular, prolonged practice; but this success tends to diminish once practice ceases, and furthermore often fails to generalise to other instances of the same object/concept. This pattern suggests that, with impaired semantic knowledge, learning relies to an abnormal extent on perceptual factors, making it difficult to abstract away from the specific visual or other perceptual format in which a given concept has been trained. Furthermore, the impact of semantic 'status' of a word or object on both working and episodic memory indicates pervasive interaction of these other memory systems with conceptual knowledge., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors of this work declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2024
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