Use distinguishing semantic memory loss from aphasia/anomia, testing working memory, and the neuroanatomy of working memory to frame the working diagnosis and next step; let it shape prognosis counseling and follow-up intensity. Make testing working memory the checkpoint that determines whether you escalate testing, narrow the differential, or change treatment.

Aphasic individual can typically complete this matching task correctly, whereas an individual with semantic dementia cannot; Localized to the prefrontal cortex; Reliable way to test this is by asking the individual to match objects to their specific function; Inhibition is the cognitive ability to suppress a prepotent or previously learned response in favor of making a goal-consistent choice; Specifically, the ventral regions are responsible for short-term maintenance of information, while the dorsal regions handle active manipulation