# Dynamic Brain Imaging of Speech in Primary Progressive Aphasia

> **NIH NIH RF1** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2023 · $2,373,138

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a clinical syndrome characterized by isolated, progressive loss of speech
and language abilities due to frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) or Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Three
clinical variants of PPA have been identified: i) logopenic variant (lvPPA) associated with loss of phonological
abilities, left temporal-parietal atrophy and atypical AD pathology; ii) nonfluent variant (nfvPPA) with motor
speech/grammar deficits, left inferior frontal damage and FTLD pathology; and iii) semantic variant (svPPA), with
conceptual knowledge loss, anterior temporal damage and mostly FTLD-type pathology. In the first funding
period, we demonstrated distinct functional neuropathophysiology across PPA variants (>40 pubs). Building
upon these findings, in this renewal, we focus on revealing important mechanistic neural circuit
abnormalities in PPA variants. Such mechanistic understanding is the foundation for development of
better neuromodulatory or behavioral interventions for PPA. We leverage the unmatched temporal
resolution of magnetoencephalography imaging (MEGI) with structural and diffusion MRI (to account for
neurodegeneration of grey and white matter), spectral graph modeling, speech motor control modeling, machine
learning, as well as detailed cognitive and language phenotyping. The specific aims are: 1) To determine distinct
resting-state structure-function imaging of neural oscillations in PPA; 2) To examine mechanisms of control and
learning in the speech production in PPA; 3) To examine neural interactions between speech production and
semantic representations in PPA. This unique combination of multimodal brain imaging (MEGI, structural MRI &
diffusion MRI), modeling (spectral graph, speech motor control), machine learning, and speech neuroscience
will: a) delineate the functional manifestations of brain network dysfunction in PPA variants, and b) identify
putative brain network targets and strategies for behavioral, or neuromodulation therapies for PPA.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10740640
- **Project number:** 2RF1NS100440-06
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** MARIA LUISA GORNO TEMPINI
- **Activity code:** RF1 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $2,373,138
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2017-09-15 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10740640

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10740640, Dynamic Brain Imaging of Speech in Primary Progressive Aphasia (2RF1NS100440-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10740640. Licensed CC0.

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