NCBI ROFL: Polka music and semantic dementia.

Discover the unique semantic dementia features of a man infatuated with polka music, highlighting musical taste shifts in dementia.

Google NewsGoogle News Preferred Source

Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news

Sign Up

"A man exhibited typical features of semantic dementia with onset at age 52. At age 55, he became infatuated with polka music. He would sit in his car in the garage and listen to polka on the radio or on cassettes, often for as long as 12 to 18 hours. Whereas some may argue that enjoying polka music is in itself pathologic, we view this patient's new appreciation of polka similar to that recently described with pop music in two patients with frontotemporal dementia. Thus, heterogeneity in musical taste is yet one more dimension bridging semantic dementia and frontotemporal dementia."

Thanks to Ace for today's ROFL!

Photo: flickr/grenade

Related content: Discoblog: NCBI ROFL: Pink Floyd hallucinations: not just for druggies. Discoblog: NCBI ROFL: I still think listening to country music is degrading. Discoblog: NCBI ROFL: Opera makes me want to kill myself.

Stay Curious

JoinOur List

Sign up for our weekly science updates

View our Privacy Policy

SubscribeTo The Magazine

Save up to 40% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine.

Subscribe