Corticobasal Syndrome Initially Presenting with Apraxia of Speech

Apraxia of speech is a disorder of speech programming and planning. We report a 64-year-old woman presenting with progressive apraxia of speech that evolved into right-side-dominant akinesia-rigidity syndrome over a 7-year period. Her motor symptoms were highly consistent with corticobasal syndrome, and neuroimaging revealed atrophy and hypometabolism in the left premotor and supplementary motor areas, which are relevant to apraxia of speech. This case illustrates that apraxia of speech may be an initial manifestation of corticobasal syndrome.