Your
doctor will first take a careful and detailed family and medical
history. Family members or friends may also be questioned about your
behaviour because sometimes you may be unaware of the symptoms yourself.
A neurological examination will be done to determine your mental status
as well as check for signs of deterioration of motor or sensory skills.
Several blood tests, spinal fluid tests and brain imaging studies (such
as MRI - Magnetic Resonance Imaging or a CAT - Computerized Axial
Tomography scan) can be conducted. Computerized images of your brain can
be used to check for abnormalities such as atrophy (shrinkage) of the
brain tissue. However, in early stages, these may not show up on the
scan.
Neuropsychological
examination will be the next phase of testing. This involves evaluating
whether your symptoms are psychiatric. These are detailed tests and
require several hours of testing. Tests may be paper or computer based
and their basic function is to test your mental abilities such as
attention span, concentration, language, learning/memory, visual
perception, reasoning and mood. The results of these tests can indicate
if there are abnormalities of thinking and behaviour, and whether these
are mild, moderate or advanced.
Speech
and language evaluation is a crucial test as a decline in language
abilities is the primary symptom of primary progressive aphasia. Your
doctor will attempt to determine which components of language are most
affected, their severity, and the measures that can be taken to improve
communication.
Family members will be included in the treatment sessions to educate them about how to facilitate communication.