Progressive nonfluent aphasia

Progressive nonfluent aphasia, abbreviated PNFA, is one of three clinical syndromes associated with frontotemporal lobar degeneration. It begins insidiously, with language deficits worsening over time, unlike stroke-based aphasias that appear acutely after trauma to the brain. The specific degeneration of the frontal and temporal lobes creates hallmark language deficits that set the disorder apart from Alzheimer-type disorders, chiefly through the initial absence of other cognitive and memory deficits. It commonly has a primary effect on the left hemisphere, producing expressive language deficits, meaning difficulty with speech production, and it sometimes disrupts receptive abilities such as understanding grammatically complex language. The entry records how the syndrome is classified and distinguished, and is not a guide to diagnosis or care.