Abstract(s)
Despite a well-documented pattern of semantic memory (SM) impairment, the patterns of brain
activation during semantic processing in svPPA still remain poorly understood. The current study
aimed to investigate the neural substrates of residual semantic processing in the context of this
significant but selective SM impairment, through the case study of one svPPA patient. One svPPA
patient (EC) and six elderly controls carried out a general-level semantic categorization task (biological
and manufactured objects) while their brain activity was recorded using magnetoencephalography
(MEG). Despite similar behavioral performance, EC showed hyperactivation of the left inferior
temporal gyrus (ITG) and right anterior temporal lobe (ATL) relative to controls. This suggests that
periatrophic regions within the ATL region may support preserved semantic abilities in svPPA. These
results thus contribute to our understanding of the brain regions which are recruited to compensate for
bilateral atrophy of the ATL and ensure residual semantic processing in svPPA.