The Japanese journal of neuropsychology

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ArticleTitle	Semantic memory and gogi-aphasia
Language	J
AuthorList	Michitaka Funayama
Affiliation	Department of Neuropsychiatry, Ashikaga Red Cross Hospital
Publication	Japanese Journal of Neuropsychology: 28 (2), 116-123, 2012
Received
Accepted
Abstract	Semantic dementia is often associated with gogi-aphasia, but gogi-aphasia does not always include semantic dementia. In this report, three cases of gogi-aphasia are presented and the relationship between gogi-aphasia and semantic memory impairment is discussed. The first case was a patient with semantic dementia who showed gogi-aphasia in the context of semantic memory impairment. The second case was a patient with early frontotemporal lobar degeneration who showed gogi-aphasia without semantic memory impairment in daily life. Though he had some difficulty with performing semantic tasks when tested, he could lead an independent life. Some researchers may call this a case of early-stage semantic dementia, but it was difficult to diagnose him as having dementia clinically. The third case was a patient with cerebrovascular disease who showed gogi-aphasia with a lesion limited to the left temporal lobe. She had no deficit of semantic memory in daily life or in several semantic tasks. These patients with various levels of semantic memory impairment suggest that gogi-aphasia can result from impairment of reciprocal coding between lexical items and semantic memory, or symbols and referents in other words, regardless of the presence of semantic memory impairment.
Keywords	gogi-aphasia, semantic dementia, semantic memory impairment