The Link Between Verbal Short-Term Memory and Anomia Treatment Gains

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 1039-1052
Author(s):  
Reva M. Zimmerman ◽  
JoAnn P. Silkes ◽  
Diane L. Kendall ◽  
Irene Minkina

Purpose A significant relationship between verbal short-term memory (STM) and language performance in people with aphasia has been found across studies. However, very few studies have examined the predictive value of verbal STM in treatment outcomes. This study aims to determine if verbal STM can be used as a predictor of treatment success. Method Retrospective data from 25 people with aphasia in a larger randomized controlled trial of phonomotor treatment were analyzed. Digit and word spans from immediately pretreatment were run in multiple linear regression models to determine whether they predict magnitude of change from pre- to posttreatment and follow-up naming accuracy. Pretreatment, immediately posttreatment, and 3 months posttreatment digit and word span scores were compared to determine if they changed following a novel treatment approach. Results Verbal STM, as measured by digit and word spans, did not predict magnitude of change in naming accuracy from pre- to posttreatment nor from pretreatment to 3 months posttreatment. Furthermore, digit and word spans did not change from pre- to posttreatment or from pretreatment to 3 months posttreatment in the overall analysis. A post hoc analysis revealed that only the less impaired group showed significant changes in word span scores from pretreatment to 3 months posttreatment. Discussion The results suggest that digit and word spans do not predict treatment gains. In a less severe subsample of participants, digit and word span scores can change following phonomotor treatment; however, the overall results suggest that span scores may not change significantly. The implications of these findings are discussed within the broader purview of theoretical and empirical associations between aphasic language and verbal STM processing.

Author(s):  
Steven J Hardy ◽  
Sarah E Bills ◽  
Emily R Meier ◽  
Jeffrey C Schatz ◽  
Katie J Keridan ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective Youth with sickle cell disease (SCD) are at risk for neurocognitive deficits including problems with working memory (WM), but few interventions to improve functioning exist. This study sought to determine the feasibility and efficacy of home-based, digital WM training on short-term memory and WM, behavioral outcomes, and academic fluency using a parallel group randomized controlled trial design. Methods 47 children (7–16 years) with SCD and short-term memory or WM difficulties were randomized to Cogmed Working Memory Training at home on a tablet device (N = 24) or to a standard care Waitlist group (N = 23) that used Cogmed after the waiting period. Primary outcomes assessed in clinic included performance on verbal and nonverbal short-term memory and WM tasks. Secondary outcomes included parent-rated executive functioning and tests of math and reading fluency. Results In the evaluable sample, the Cogmed group (N = 21) showed greater improvement in visual WM compared with the Waitlist group (N = 22; p = .03, d = 0.70 [CI95 = 0.08, 1.31]). When examining a combined sample of participants, those who completed ≥10 training sessions exhibited significant improvements in verbal short-term memory, visual WM, and math fluency. Adherence to Cogmed was lower than expected (M = 9.07 sessions, SD = 7.77), with 19 participants (41%) completing at least 10 sessions. Conclusions: Visual WM, an ability commonly affected by SCD, is modifiable with cognitive training. Benefits extended to verbal short-term memory and math fluency when patients completed a sufficient training dose. Additional research is needed to identify ideal candidates for training and determine whether training gains are sustainable and generalize to real-world outcomes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 985
Author(s):  
Shenghua Lu ◽  
Fabian Herold ◽  
Yanjie Zhang ◽  
Yuruo Lei ◽  
Arthur F. Kramer ◽  
...  

Objective: There is growing evidence that in adults, higher levels of handgrip strength (HGS) are linked to better cognitive performance. However, the relationship between HGS and cognitive performance has not been sufficiently investigated in special cohorts, such as individuals with hypertension who have an intrinsically higher risk of cognitive decline. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between HGS and cognitive performance in adults with hypertension using data from the Global Ageing and Adult Health Survey (SAGE). Methods: A total of 4486 Chinese adults with hypertension from the SAGE were included in this study. Absolute handgrip strength (aHGS in kilograms) was measured using a handheld electronic dynamometer, and cognitive performance was assessed in the domains of short-term memory, delayed memory, and language ability. Multiple linear regression models were fitted to examine the association between relative handgrip strength (rHGS; aHGS divided by body mass index) and measures of cognitive performance. Results: Overall, higher levels of rHGS were associated with higher scores in short-term memory (β = 0.20) and language (β = 0.63) compared with the lowest tertiles of rHGS. In male participants, higher HGS was associated with higher scores in short-term memory (β = 0.31), language (β = 0.64), and delayed memory (β = 0.22). There were no associations between rHGS and cognitive performance measures in females. Conclusion: We observed that a higher level of rHGS was associated with better cognitive performance among hypertensive male individuals. Further studies are needed to investigate the neurobiological mechanisms, including sex-specific differences driving the relationship between measures of HGS and cognitive performance in individuals with hypertension.


Circulation ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 138 (Suppl_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katharyn L Flickinger ◽  
Melissa J Repine ◽  
Stephany Jaramillo ◽  
Allison C Koller ◽  
Margo Holm ◽  
...  

Introduction: Cognitive and physical impairments are common in cardiac arrest survivors. Global measures including the Modified Rankin Scale (mRS), Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) and the 10-domain CPC-Extended (CPC-E) tend to improve over 1 year. The CPC-E is scored from 1-5 with higher scores signifying greater impairment. However, with the CPC-E, individual functional domains (alertness, logical thinking, attention, motor skills, short-term memory, basic and complex activities of daily living (ADL), mood, fatigue, and return to work) may recover at different rates. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that patients would have recovery in all domains of the CPC-E at 1 year after index cardiac arrest. Methods: A prospective cohort study of cardiac arrest survivors was conducted between 2/1/16 and 5/31/17. Chart review was done for baseline demographic data. Outcome measures including mRS, CPC, and CPC-E scores were assessed at discharge, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year. We defined recovery of a CPC-E domain when >90% of patients had scores of 1-2 in that domain. Results: Of 71 subjects, 35 completed the CPC-E at discharge, 35 at 3 months, 25 at 6 months and 31 at 1 year. The most common reasons for exclusion were patient declined or were lost to follow up. The majority (N=37; 52%) were female, with a mean (SD) age of 58(17) years. Most arrests occurred out of hospital (N= 49; 69%), 27 (38%) had a shockable rhythm and the majority (N=37; 54%) were discharged home. CPC-E domains of alertness (N=35, 100%) logical thinking (N=35; 100%), and attention (N=33; 94%) recovered by hospital discharge. BADLs were recovered by 3 months (N=33; 94%). The majority of patients (N=24;77%) experienced slight-to-no disability or symptoms (mRS 0-2 / CPC 1-2) at 1 year follow up. CPC-E short term memory (67%), motor (87%), mood (87%), fatigue (13%), complex ADL (74%), and return to work (55%) did not recover fully by 1 year. Conclusions: In survivors of cardiac arrest, CPC-E domains of alertness, logical thinking, and attention recover rapidly, while domains of short term memory, motor, mood, fatigue, complex ADL and ability to return to work are chronically impaired 1 year after arrest. Interventions to improve recovery in these domains are needed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (S9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Fernández Guinea ◽  
Mercedes Zurita ◽  
Jorge Mucientes ◽  
Estefanía García ◽  
Javier González Marqués ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Josje Verhagen ◽  
Elise de Bree

Abstract Earlier work indicates that bilingualism may positively affect statistical learning, but leaves open whether a bilingual benefit is (1) found during learning rather than in a post-hoc test following a learning phase and (2) explained by enhanced verbal short-term memory skill in the bilinguals. Forty-one bilingual and 56 monolingual preschoolers completed a serial reaction time task and a nonword repetition task (NWR). Linear mixed-effect regressions indicated that the bilinguals showed a stronger decrease in reaction times over the regular blocks of the task than the monolinguals. No group differences in accuracy-based measures were found. NWR performance, which did not differ between the groups, did not account for the attested effect of bilingualism. These results provide partial support for effects of bilingualism on statistical learning, which appear during learning and are not due to enhanced verbal short-term memory. Taken together, these findings add to a growing body of research on effects of bilingualism on statistical learning, and constitute a first step towards investigating the factors which may underlie such effects.


1994 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 315-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
William F. Vitulli ◽  
Mary E. Henderson

Short-term memory tests were given to 101 undergraduate volunteers (33 men and 68 women) under three levels of audience size (2 observers, 1 observer, and alone condition) using different rates (1 sec. and 3 sec.) of computer-generated random numbers. Subjects were instructed to recall 25 random digits (presented sequentially on a computer screen) immediately after their display. A mixed 2 × 2 × 3 split-plot analysis of variance showed a significant effect for rate of digit presentation and Newman-Keuls post hoc pairwise comparisons showed differences between men and women with 2 observers present under the 3-sec. digit rate (men scored higher). Gender differences also occurred in the extent to which subjects profited from the 3-sec. (simpler) digit-rate condition as a function of the presence or absence of an audience (three-way interaction). Women profited in the “alone” condition and men did not, yet men profited in the audience-present conditions and women did not. “Social facilitation” interpretations in the context of gender analyses are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasmeen Faroqi-Shah ◽  
Caitlin Shi ◽  
Rebecca Goodridge

This study investigated three questions about short term memory (STM) performance in post-stroke aphasia. The first question was whether visual STM is impaired in persons with aphasia (PWA) given that a common neural network subserves encoding-recall of both verbal and visual STM. The second question was whether the response modality (verbal vs pointing) impacts STM span measures. The third focus was the relationship between STM and language performance, specifically on a commonly used standardized test battery, the Western Aphasia Battery-Revised (WAB-R). Data from 45 persons whose aphasia resulted from a single left hemisphere stroke were examined at the group and individual level. PWA scored lower than neurotypical controls on verbal but not visual STM tasks. Verbal STM impairments were found in about one-half of PWA. Dissociations among the three verbal STM tasks are found in one-third of PWA. There was a strong association between language performance on the WAB-R, including overall severity and individual test performance, and verbal STM (except for yes/no questions). These findings support an interplay between STM and language such that STM maintains relevant linguistic representations long enough for successful comprehension and production of language.


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