A longitudinal study of repair strategies in Primary Progressive Aphasia using Conversation Analysis

BACKGROUND. A systematic review on spontaneous speech, conversation and interaction in primary progressive aphasia (PPA) was conducted until October 2015. While it was possible to distinguish PPA subtypes based on spontaneous speech characteristics, differentiation between subtypes for conversation and interaction was impossible due to scarcity of publications on the subject. These findings were used as basis for a preliminary longitudinal study, the aim of which was to provide a description of the evolution in repair strategies used by patients with PPA during the first two years of diseaseprogression. METHOD. Video recordings of natural occurring patient-therapist conversations were systematically transcribed for two participants: MJG (progressive nonfluent aphasia, PNFA) and RG (logopenic progressive aphasia, LPA). These transcriptions were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively using a conversation analytic method. RESULTS. Differences in repair strategies between MJG and RG were found in the relative importance of the repair trajectories and the context in which they were used throughout the disease progression. CONCLUSION. These findings demonstrate the evolution in the use of repair strategies throughout the progression of PPA. Though not generalisable, there are clear indications for differences between the PPA subtypes. Further research within this subject is required for a clearer and more universally applicable view on repair sequences in PPA patients.

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