Dr. Daniel Kaufer Explains Primary Progressive Aphasia

Long-time UNC sportscaster Woody Durham announced this month that he has been diagnosed with the neurocognitive disorder, primary progressive aphasia. It is a progressive brain disorder that impacts his language expression.

But Durham isn’t alone.

In the past four weeks, UNC Professor of Cognitive Neurology, Daniel Kaufer, has diagnosed ten other cases of primary progressive aphasia.

“There has been increasing research and recognition that this syndrome is actually a lot more common than people have appreciated,” Kaufer said.

June is National Aphasia Awareness Month. Kaufer said Durham’s announcement, along with the month-long campaign to raise awareness of the disease, has caught people’s attention.

Kaufer studies memory disorders and how they affect people’s language function.

“This can be thought of as a subset of what we used to call dementia, but we now refer to as a neurocognitive disorder.”

Kaufer said disorders like primary progressive aphasia are difficult to recognize due to their connection to Alzheimer’s disease, a condition that affects short term memory.

“When people sense that there is some sort of problem that affects cognition in any way, it tends to get lumped into the Alzheimer’s disease category. But we’re now realizing that there are a number of types of neurocognitive disorders that will each have specific clinical presentations, and even more importantly, will have unique therapeutic interventions.”

Kaufer said understanding that there are different expressions of neurocognitive disorders is an important step in recognizing them in loved ones and friends.

“One of the primary forms of primary aphasia targets language expression – the ability to translate thoughts into words. That tends to be extremely frustrating.”

But Kaufer said, when the symptoms are more subtle, diagnosis can be more difficult.

“They may occasionally have trouble finding words. That’s not something would necessarily raise people’s concerns that there may be a problem.”

Recognizing the different types of disorders is the first step in seeking treatment, Kaufer said.

“Language function can be an early sign of a neurocognitive disorder, and we need to be aware of that. If there is some concern in watching someone in day to day life, they should seek out an evaluation.”

Of the last ten patients Kaufer has diagnosed, two of them were brought in by a concerned spouse. Kaufer said he urges people to be proactive and alert to the signs of neurocognitive disorders.