Dame Iris Murdoch, a famous and prestigous British writer, died in 1999. Her diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease was confirmed at autopsy. Dr David Garrard, a researcher at UCL, University College London, and the Medical Research Council's Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, found that her later novel reveals early signs of Alzheimer's.
The team analysed the text of her novel and found that although the structure and grammar of her books remained unchanged, it was her language, affected by Alzheimer's, that revealed the effects of the disease. Iris Murdoch's last book 'Jackson's Dilemma', published in 1995, demonstrated her use of simpler sentences and words.
The study, reported in the on-line journal 'Brain', are part of a number of studies looking at the effects of Alzheimer's and language.
The findings could assist in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's. Iris Murdoch's husband John Bailey, interviewed on the BBC channel said that he noticed a number of differences in the way she worked. He noticed not only the change in language but he said she also discussed her novel, somthing she had never done with him before.
People with Alzheimer's do find that they have difficulty remembering words. The team from University College London say their examination of works from throughout Dame Iris's career could be used to help diagnose others. Her novels do give academics the chance to examine what happens to cognitive processes over time.
