How primary progressive aphasia changes language, thinking, and the brain over time
Official title: Primary Progressive Aphasia: Cognition, Anatomy and Progression
Funded at University of California, San Francisco · NIH-10795771 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Following people with primary progressive aphasia to track changes in speech, thinking, brain scans, and biological markers over time.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project start | July 15, 2004 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,472,629 |
| NIH project number | 4R01NS050915-19 |
| Project ID | NIH-10795771 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia or with progressive, language-predominant decline—particularly those in early to mid stages—are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People whose symptoms are not primarily language-related, or those unwilling to undergo brain imaging or provide biological samples, are unlikely to benefit directly from participation.
What this research studies
You would join a long-running program that has evaluated over 400 people with primary progressive aphasia. You would have detailed speech and language testing, cognitive exams for thinking and visuospatial skills, structural and functional MRI scans, and usually blood or other biomarker and genetic testing; brain donation for pathology is included in some cases. The team uses these combined clinical, imaging, biomarker, and pathological data to better define how different diseases cause PPA and why certain brain networks are vulnerable. Their goal is to create objective clinical outcome tools and clarify the heterogeneity that can make diagnosis and trial inclusion difficult.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could produce clearer diagnostic markers and objective outcome measures to help include more people with PPA in clinical trials and guide better, earlier care.
How similar studies have gone: Related long-term PPA and biomarker cohorts have already led to international diagnostic criteria and many publications, but objective outcome tools for trials remain an unmet need that this project aims to address.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gorno Tempini, Maria Luisa — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Gorno Tempini, Maria Luisa
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Primary Progressive Aphasia: How speech and language decline happens and progresses
This grant studies a brain disease called primary progressive aphasia to understand why speech and language slip up over time.
-
Communication Bridge: Improving language therapy for people with primary progressive aphasia
A proven language-therapy program called Communication Bridge helps people with primary progressive aphasia improve and maintain how they communicate with others.
-
Bilingualism and language resilience in Hispanic people with primary progressive aphasia
Researchers compare different bilingual experiences to see how they relate to language decline and thinking skills in Hispanic adults with primary progressive aphasia.
-
Communication Bridge helps people with primary progressive aphasia talk more clearly
Aimed at people with primary progressive aphasia, this project tests a speech-language and psychosocial program delivered by telepractice to improve daily communication and quality of life.
-
Transcranial current therapy for language in progressive aphasia
A world-class team is testing a painless brain-stimulation method to help people with primary progressive aphasia say more words and names.
-
Improving communication support for people with primary progressive aphasia
This project improves and delivers an evidence-based speech and communication program to help people with primary progressive aphasia and their care partners, including through telehealth.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.