Résumé
This research aimed to assess the validity of the retrogenesis hypothesis applied to the lexico-semantic knowledge. According to this hypothesis, neurodegenerative mechanisms would reverse the order of acquisition in normal development. We present two studies comparing the development and loss of semantic knowledge. Study 1 compares the development of semantic knowledge about objects in children aged from 5 to 9 years old and its loss in Alzheimer's disease. Study 2 compares the performances of children and patients with Alzheimer's disease in a picture-naming task. Both studies exhibited mirrored evolution of semantic knowledge extending the retrogenesis theory to lexico-semantic knowledge.