Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To understand the scope of semantic impairment in semantic dementia. DESIGN: Case study. SETTING: Academic medical center. PATIENT: A man with semantic dementia, as demonstrated by clinical, neuropsychological, and imaging studies. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Music performance and magnetic resonance imaging results. RESULTS: Despite profoundly impaired semantic memory for words and objects due to left temporal lobe atrophy, this semiprofessional musician was creative and expressive in demonstrating preserved musical knowledge. CONCLUSION: Long-term representations of words and objects in semantic memory may be dissociated from meaningful knowledge in other domains, such as music.