Linguistic Analysis of Terry Pratchett's Novels Reveals Early Dementia Indicators

This study investigates the potential of linguistic analysis to detect early signs of cognitive decline by examining the writing of Sir Terry Pratchett, a renowned author diagnosed with Posterior Cortical Atrophy (PCA), typically a form of dementia caused by Alzheimer's disease.

A significant decrease in lexical diversity (TTR) was observed for nouns and adjectives in later works. Total wordcount increased, while lexical diversity decreased, suggesting a shift towards simpler language.

This shift coincided with a decrease in adjective TTR below a defined threshold, occurring approximately ten years before Pratchett's formal diagnosis.

These findings suggest that subtle changes in linguistic patterns, such as decreased lexical diversity, may precede clinical diagnosis of dementia by a considerable margin.

This research highlights the potential of linguistic analysis as a valuable tool for early detection of cognitive decline.