Simulation of Aphasic Naming Performance in Non-Brain-Damaged Adults

2004 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 610-623 ◽  
Author(s):  
JoAnn P. Silkes ◽  
Malcolm R. McNeil ◽  
Mathias Drton

Discussion abounds in the literature as to whether aphasia is a deficit of linguistic competence or linguistic performance and, if it is a performance deficit, what are its precise mechanisms. Considerable evidence suggests that alteration of nonlinguistic factors can affect language performance in aphasia, a finding that raises questions about the modularity of language and the purity of linguistic mechanisms underlying the putative language deficits in persons with aphasia. This study investigated whether temporal stress plus additional cognitive demands placed on non-brain-damaged adults would produce aphasic-like performance on a picture naming task. Two groups of non-brain-damaged participants completed a picture naming task with additional cognitive demands (use of low frequency words and making semantic judgments about the stimuli). A control group performed this task at their own pace, and an experimental group was placed under time constraints. Naming errors were identified and coded by error type. Errors made by individuals with aphasia from a previous study (S. E. Kohn & H. Goodglass, 1985) were recoded with the coding system used in the present study and were then compared with the types of errors produced by the 2 non-brain-damaged groups. Results generally support the hypothesis that the language performance deficits seen in persons with aphasia exist on a continuum with the language performance of non-brain-damaged individuals. Some error type differences between groups warrant further investigation. KEY WORDS : aphasia, language functions and disorders, anomia, verbal expression

2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 580-593 ◽  
Author(s):  
JULIA FESTMAN

Although all bilinguals encounter cross-language interference (CLI), some bilinguals are more susceptible to interference than others. Here, we report on language performance of late bilinguals (Russian/German) on two bilingual tasks (interview, verbal fluency), their language use and switching habits. The only between-group difference was CLI: one group consistently produced significantly more errors of CLI on both tasks than the other (thereby replicating our findings from a bilingual picture naming task). This striking group difference in language control ability can only be explained by differences in cognitive control, not in language proficiency or language mode.


1995 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Montanes ◽  
Marie Claire Goldblum ◽  
Francois Boller

AbstractSeveral studies of semantic abilities in Dementia of the Alzheimer Type (DAT) suggest that their semantic disorders may affect specific categories of knowledge. In particular, the existence of a category-specific semantic impairment affecting, selectively, living things has frequently been reported in association with DAT. We report here results from two naming tasks of 25 DAT patients and two subgroups within this population. The first naming task used 48 black and white line drawings from Snodgrass and Vanderwart (1980) which controlled the visual complexity of stimuli from living and nonliving categories. The second task used 44 colored pictures (to assess the influence of word frequency in living vs. nonliving categories). Within the set of black and white pictures, both DAT patients and controls obtained significantly lower scores on high visual complexity stimuli than on stimuli of low visual complexity. A clear effect of semantic category emerged for DAT patients and controls, with a lower performance on the living category. Within the colored set, pictures corresponding to high frequency words gave rise to significantly higher scores than pictures corresponding to low frequency words. No significant difference emerged between living versus nonliving categories, either in DAT patients or in controls. In the two tasks, the two subgroups of DAT patients presented a different profile of performance and error type. As color constitutes the main difference between the two sets of pictures, our results point to the relevance of this cue in the processing of semantic information, with visual complexity and frequency also being very relevant. (JINS, 1995, I, 39–48.)


2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 479-488 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARGOT D. SULLIVAN ◽  
GREGORY J. POARCH ◽  
ELLEN BIALYSTOK

Proficient bilinguals demonstrate slower lexical retrieval than comparable monolinguals. The present study tested predictions from two main accounts of this effect, the frequency-lag and competition hypotheses. Both make the same prediction for bilinguals but differ for trilinguals and for age differences. 200 younger or older adults who were monolingual, bilingual, or trilingual performed a picture naming task in English that included high and low frequency words. Naming times were faster for high than for low frequency words and, in line with frequency-lag, group differences were larger for low than high frequency items. However, on all other measures, bilinguals and trilinguals performed equivalently, and lexical retrieval differences between language groups did not attenuate with age, consistent with the competition view.


2009 ◽  
Vol 21 (8) ◽  
pp. 1499-1510 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Laganaro ◽  
Stéphanie Morand ◽  
Armin Schnider

Impaired word production after brain damage can be due to impairment at lexical–semantic or at lexical–phonological levels of word encoding. These processes are thought to involve different brain regions and to have different time courses. The present study investigated the time course of electrophysiological correlates of anomia in 16 aphasic speakers, divided in two subgroups according to their anomic pattern (8 with lexical–semantic impairment and 8 with lexical–phonological impairment), in comparison to 16 healthy control subjects performing the same picture naming task. Differences in amplitudes and in topographic maps between groups were differently distributed when the whole heterogeneous group of aphasic patients was compared to the control group and when the two more homogeneous subgroups of anomic patients were analyzed. The entire aphasic group expressed different waveforms and topographic patterns than the control group starting about 100 msec after picture presentation. When two subgroups of aphasic patients are considered according to the underlying cognitive impairment, early event-related potential (ERP) abnormalities (100–250 msec) appeared only in the lexical–semantic subgroup, whereas later ERP abnormalities (300–450 msec) occurred only in the lexical–phonological subgroup. These results indicate that the time windows of ERP abnormalities vary depending on the underlying anomic impairment. Moreover, the findings give support to current hypotheses on the time course of processes involved in word production during picture naming.


Gragoatá ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (46) ◽  
pp. 354
Author(s):  
Pâmela Freitas Pereira Toassi ◽  
Mailce Borges Mota

We report an experiment using a picture-naming task within the masked priming paradigm to examine lexical access in English as a third language. Participants were assigned to one of three groups: a control group, consisting of native speakers of English, and two experimental groups, one consisting of speakers of English as L2 and the other consisting of speakers of German as L2 and English as L3. Participants of the two experimental groups were native speakers of Brazilian Portuguese. All participants performed a picture-naming task in English in which pictures were preceded by a masked prime word in the target language (English), in the native language (Brazilian Portuguese) or in the second language (German). The results indicate some interference from the participants’ second language in the production of their third language (English), favoring the view that lexical access of multilinguals is qualitatively different from that of bilinguals and monolinguals.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Efeitos de priming semântico e acesso lexical em inglês como L3Reporta-se, neste artigo, os resultados de um experimento que investigou o acesso lexical em inglês como terceira língua por meio de uma tarefa de nomeação de figuras no paradigma de priming mascarado. Os participantes foram organizados em três grupos: um grupo controle, formado por falantes nativos de inglês, e dois grupos experimentais, sendo um formado por falantes de inglês como L2 e o outro, por falantes de inglês como L2 e de alemão como L3. Todos os participantes desempenharam uma tarefa de nomeação de figuras em que estas eram precedidas por palavras prime em inglês (a língua alvo), português brasileiro (a língua nativa), ou alemão (a segunda língua). Os resultados indicam alguma interferência da segunda língua desses participantes na produção da terceira língua e favorecem a visão de que o acesso lexical de multilíngues é qualitativamente diferente daquele de bilíngues e monolíngues.---Artigo em inglês.


Gragoatá ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (46) ◽  
pp. 354-373
Author(s):  
Pâmela Freitas Pereira Toassi ◽  
Mailce Borges Mota

We report an experiment using a picture-naming task within the masked priming paradigm to examine lexical access in English as a third language. Participants were assigned to one of three groups: a control group, consisting of native speakers of English, and two experimental groups, one consisting of speakers of English as L2 and the other consisting of speakers of German as L2 and English as L3. Participants of the two experimental groups were native speakers of Brazilian Portuguese. All participants performed a picture-naming task in English in which pictures were preceded by a masked prime word in the target language (English), in the native language (Brazilian Portuguese) or in the second language (German). The results indicate some interference from the participants’ second language in the production of their third language (English), favoring the view that lexical access of multilinguals is qualitatively different from that of bilinguals and monolinguals.---Article in English. ---DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22409/gragoata.2018n46a1133


2019 ◽  
Vol 81 (02) ◽  
pp. 095-104
Author(s):  
Phillip Keil ◽  
Charlotte Nettekoven ◽  
Kilian Weiss ◽  
Thorsten Lichtenstein ◽  
Roland Goldbrunner ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a useful method for noninvasive presurgical functional mapping. However, the scanner environment is inherently unsuitable for the examination of auditory and language functions, due to the loud acoustic noise produced by the scanner. Interleaved acquisition methods alleviate this problem by providing a silent period for stimulus presentation and/or response control (sparse sampling) but at the expense of a diminished amount of data collected. There are possible improvements to these sparse acquisition methods that increase the amount of data by acquiring several images per event (clustered sampling). We tested accelerated clustered fMRI acquisition in comparison with conventional sparse sampling in a pilot study. Methods The clustered and sparse acquisition techniques (7.4 minutes scanning time per protocol) were directly compared in 15 healthy subjects (8 men; mean age: 24 ± 3 years) using both a motor (tongue movement) and a language (overt picture-naming) task. Functional imaging data were analyzed using Statistical Parametric Mapping software (SPM12 Wellcome Department of Imaging Neuroscience, London, UK). For both tasks, activation levels were compared and Euclidean distances (EDs) between cluster centers (i.e., local activation maxima and centers of gravity) were calculated. Overlaps and laterality indices were computed for the picture-naming task. In addition, the feasibility of the clustered acquisition protocol in a clinical setting was assessed in one pilot patient. Results For both tasks, activation levels were higher using the clustered acquisition protocol, reflected by bigger cluster sizes (p < 0.05). Mean ED between cluster centers ranged between 9.9 ± 5.4 mm (left superior temporal gyrus; centers of gravity) and 16.6 ± 13.2 mm (left inferior frontal gyrus; local activation maxima) for the picture-naming task. Overlaps between sparse and clustered acquisition reached 88% (Simpson overlap coefficient). A similar activation pattern for both acquisition methods was also confirmed in the clinical case. Conclusion Despite some drawbacks inherent to the acquisition technique, the clustered sparse sampling protocol showed increased sensitivity for activation in language-related cortical regions with short scanning times. Such scanning techniques may be particularly advantageous for investigating patients with contraindications for long scans (e.g., reduced attention span).


Author(s):  
Azza B. Hammad ◽  
Rasha E. Elsharkawy ◽  
Ghada S. Abdel Azim

Abstract Background Clinical applications of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) have shown promising results in the treatment of headache disorders, with migraine being one of the most encountered. Objective To assess the role of low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation as a preventive treatment of migraine (with and without aura) and correlate the results with the serum level of the inflammatory biomarker (neurokinin A). Methods Forty patients, with age ranging from 15 to 55 years, diagnosed with migraine (30 migraine without aura and 10 with aura) and 20 apparently healthy individuals, who were age and sex matched with the patient group, were included in this study. A low-frequency (1 Hz) rTMS protocol was applied for all patients for five consecutive days interictally. Assessment of pain intensity using visual analogue scale and frequency and duration of attacks as well as number of pills taken by patients as an abortive treatment according to the Basic Diagnostic Headache Diary for 4 weeks before and 4 weeks after TMS sessions was done. In addition, the Migraine Disability Assessment scale (MIDAS) was applied to assess the severity and degree of disability caused by migraine. Measurement of neurokinin A serum level was done by using ELISA for all patients before and after TMS and for control group once. Results There was a significant reduction in pain intensity, frequency and duration of migraine attacks, migraine disability scores, and number of pills taken as abortive treatment for attacks after rTMS (P < 0.001). Also, serum level of neurokinin A in the patients was significantly reduced after rTMS (P < 0.001). Conclusion Low-frequency rTMS is an effective prophylactic treatment for migraine with and without aura.


2006 ◽  
Vol 104 (4) ◽  
pp. 598-607 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyousuke Kamada ◽  
Fumiya Takeuchi ◽  
Shinya Kuriki ◽  
Tomoki Todo ◽  
Akio Morita ◽  
...  

✓Dissociated language functions are largely invalidated by standard techniques such as the amobarbital test and cortical stimulation. Language studies in which magnetoencephalography (MEG) and functional magnetic resonance (fMR) imaging are used to record data while the patient performs lexicosemantic tasks have enabled researchers to perform independent brain mapping for temporal and frontal language functions (MEG is used for temporal and fMR imaging for frontal functions). In this case report, the authors describe a right-handed patient in whom a right-sided insular glioma was diagnosed. The patient had a right-lateralized receptive language area, but expressive language function was identified in the left hemisphere on fMR imaging–and MEG-based mapping. Examinations were performed in 20 right-handed patients with low-grade gliomas (control group) for careful comparison with and interpretation of this patient’s results. In these tests, all patients were asked to generate verbs related to acoustically presented nouns (verb generation) for fMR imaging, and to categorize as abstract or concrete a set of visually presented words consisting of three Japanese letters for fMR imaging and MEG. The most prominent display of fMR imaging activation by the verb-generation task was observed in the left inferior and middle frontal gyri in all participants, including the patient presented here. Estimated dipoles identified with the abstract/concrete categorization task were concentrated in the superior temporal and supramarginal gyri in the left hemisphere in all control patients. In this patient, however, the right superior temporal region demonstrated significantly stronger activations on MEG and fMR imaging with the abstract/concrete categorization task. Suspected dissociation of the language functions was successfully mapped with these two imaging modalities and was validated by the modified amobarbital test and the postoperative neurological status. The authors describe detailed functional profiles obtained in this patient and review the cases of four previously described patients in whom dissociated language functions were found.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Mareike Eschweiler ◽  
Lara Bohr ◽  
Josef Kessler ◽  
Gereon R. Fink ◽  
Elke Kalbe ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: The negative impact of cognitive dysfunction on motor rehabilitation as a relearning-process is well known in stroke patients. However, evidence for combined cognitive and motor training (CMT) is lacking. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of combined CMT in early stroke rehabilitation. METHODS: In a controlled pilot study, 29 moderately affected stroke patients with low-level motor performance and cognitive impairment received motor therapy plus either cognitive (experimental group, EG) or low-frequency ergometer training (control group, CG) for eight days. RESULTS: Both groups improved their motor functioning significantly. After training, between-group comparison revealed significant differences for cognitive flexibility and trends for set-shifting, working memory, and reaction control in favor of the EG. Within-group effects showed improvement across all cognitive domains in the EG, which correlated with gains in bed-mobility, while the CG showed no significant improvement in cognition. Rather, a trend towards reaction control decline was observed, which correlated with less functional progression and recovery. Furthermore, a decline in cognitive flexibility, set-shifting, and working memory was descriptively observed. CONCLUSIONS: Combined CMT may enhance cognition and motor relearning early after stroke and is superior to single motor training. Further studies are needed to replicate these results and investigate long-term benefits.


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