scholarly journals Verbal Fluency, Speech-Language and Neurocognitive Outcomes in Youth with Cochlear Implants

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fahad Hasnain ◽  
David Pisoni ◽  
William Kronenberger
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Speech Perception ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Verbal Fluency ◽  
Potential Method ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Inhibition Concentration ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Neurocognitive Outcomes

Background: Cochlear Implants (CIs) restore some hearing to deaf children, although some language domains such as verbal fluency (VF) are at risk for delay. VF, the ability to efficiently retrieve words from the mental lexicon, is critically important for learning, reasoning, and memory. In this study we used a novel assessment paradigm to understand how VF develops in youth with CIs and to investigate associations between VF, speech-language, and neurocognitive functioning. We hypothesized that phonemic VF (retrieving words based on sounds) would show greater delays than semantic VF (retrieving words within category) and that VF would relate to spoken language and memory outcomes.     Methods: 28 prelingually deaf, early-implanted (<4 years), long-term (≥7 years) child and adolescent users of CIs were compared with 33 age and nonverbal IQ-matched normal-hearing (NH) peers. VF measures were compared between CI and NH and were correlated with speech, language, and neurocognitive outcomes.     Results: Compared to NH peers, youth with CIs retrieved fewer words, had longer start latencies, and fewer word clusters in the phonemic VF test. Stronger phonemic VF in the CI sample was associated with better speech perception and language. Stronger VF in both samples was associated with better short-term/working memory and inhibition/concentration.     Conclusion: VF based on phonological (sound) characteristics of words is delayed in youth with CIs, whereas VF based on semantic meaning is relatively spared. Phonemic VF delays have downstream effects on speech perception and language in youth with CIs, whereas both types of VF are associated with verbal short-term/working memory and executive functioning.     Clinical Policy Impact and Implications: Study results indicate a need for assessment and intervention targeting VF (especially phonemic) in youth with CIs as a potential method for improving speech perception, language, verbal memory, and inhibition-concentration outcomes.  

scholarly journals Early Postimplant Speech Perception and Language Skills Predict Long-Term Language and Neurocognitive Outcomes Following Pediatric Cochlear Implantation

2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (8) ◽  
pp. 2321-2336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia R. Hunter ◽  
William G. Kronenberger ◽  
Irina Castellanos ◽  
David B. Pisoni
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Speech Perception ◽  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
Long Term Outcomes ◽  
Open Set ◽  
Neurocognitive Outcomes

PurposeWe sought to determine whether speech perception and language skills measured early after cochlear implantation in children who are deaf, and early postimplant growth in speech perception and language skills, predict long-term speech perception, language, and neurocognitive outcomes.MethodThirty-six long-term users of cochlear implants, implanted at an average age of 3.4 years, completed measures of speech perception, language, and executive functioning an average of 14.4 years postimplantation. Speech perception and language skills measured in the 1st and 2nd years postimplantation and open-set word recognition measured in the 3rd and 4th years postimplantation were obtained from a research database in order to assess predictive relations with long-term outcomes.ResultsSpeech perception and language skills at 6 and 18 months postimplantation were correlated with long-term outcomes for language, verbal working memory, and parent-reported executive functioning. Open-set word recognition was correlated with early speech perception and language skills and long-term speech perception and language outcomes. Hierarchical regressions showed that early speech perception and language skills at 6 months postimplantation and growth in these skills from 6 to 18 months both accounted for substantial variance in long-term outcomes for language and verbal working memory that was not explained by conventional demographic and hearing factors.ConclusionSpeech perception and language skills measured very early postimplantation, and early postimplant growth in speech perception and language, may be clinically relevant markers of long-term language and neurocognitive outcomes in users of cochlear implants.Supplemental materialshttps://doi.org/10.23641/asha.5216200

scholarly journals A-65 Verbal Abilities May Influence Performance in Assessment of Verbal Short-Term Memory Tasks

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 925-925
Author(s):  
A Guerra ◽  
J Moses ◽  
J Rivera ◽  
M Davis ◽  
K Hakinson
Keyword(s):  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Verbal Fluency ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Word Association ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Factor Solution ◽  
Term Memory ◽  
Verbal Abilities ◽  
Three Factor

Abstract Objective Examine whether verbal abilities may help explain the learning strategies people employ when completing a short-term verbal memory task. Methods The assessment records of 296 American Veterans with diverse neuropsychiatric conditions were analyzed using Exploratory Factor Analyses. There were no exclusion criteria. All participants completed the Benton Serial Digit Learning Test – 9 Digits (SDL-9) and Visual Naming (VisNam), Sentence Repetition (SenRep), Controlled Word Association (COWA), and Token Tests of the Multilingual Aphasia Examination (MAE). Individual assessment instruments were factored using Principal Component Analyses (PCA). A three-factor solution of the SDL-9 was co-factored with the verbal components of the MAE to identify common sources of variance. Results A three-factor solution of the SDL-9 separated trials into three overlapping factors consisting of early (SDL-9_Early), middle (SDL-9_Middle), and late (SDL-9_Late) trials. Co-factoring the three new scales with the verbal components of the MAE produced a four-factor model explaining 67.85% of the shared variance: 1) SenRep loaded with SDL-9_Early, 2) COWAT loaded with SDL-9_Middle and SDL-9_Late, 3) Token loaded with SDL-9_Late, and 4) Vis Nam loaded with SDL-9_Late. Conclusions The results suggest that individuals may engage verbal abilities differently as they progress from simpler to more difficult verbal short-term memory tasks. It appears performance in early trials is mostly associated with rote repetition and performance on middle trials is mostly associated with verbal fluency, while performance on the late trials is associated with a combination of verbal fluency, auditory comprehension, and conceptual organization/naming. This may therefore indicate a shift in learning strategy to meet increased cognitive demands.

Symptomatic remission and neurocognitive functioning in patients with schizophrenia

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (10) ◽  
pp. 2131-2139 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Hofer ◽  
T. Bodner ◽  
A. Kaufmann ◽  
G. Kemmler ◽  
U. Mattarei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Functional Outcome ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Verbal Fluency ◽  
Employment Status ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Verbal Learning ◽  
Neurocognitive Functioning ◽  
Remission Status ◽  
Symptomatic Remission

BackgroundA cross-sectional study was conducted in participants with schizophrenia to explore a potential association between the patients' remission status and neurocognitive functioning and to examine whether these factors have an impact on functional outcome.MethodPsychopathological symptoms were rated by means of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale with symptom remission being assessed by applying the severity component of the recently proposed remission criteria. Tests for the cognitive battery were selected to cover domains known to be impaired in patients with schizophrenia. Next to pre-morbid intelligence, attention performance, executive functioning, verbal fluency, verbal learning and memory, working memory and visual memory were assessed. The joint effect of remission status and neurocognitive functioning on treatment outcome was investigated by logistic regression analysis.ResultsOut of 140 patients included in the study, 62 were symptomatically remitted. Mean age, education and sex distribution were comparable in remitted and non-remitted patients. Remitted patients showed significantly higher values on tests of verbal fluency, alertness and optical vigilance. Both symptomatic remission as well as performance on tests of working memory and verbal memory had a significant effect on the patients' employment status.ConclusionsIn the present study neuropsychological measures of frontal lobe functioning were associated with symptomatic remission from schizophrenia. In addition, both symptomatic remission and performance on tests of working memory and verbal memory had a significant effect on the patients' employment status. Longitudinal follow-up data are needed to determine how the associations of these determinants of functional outcome interact and change over time.

Introduction to the special issue on syntax and verbal short term/working memory in developmental disorders

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 335-340
Author(s):  
Stavroula Stavrakaki
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Developmental Disorders ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Main Research ◽  
The Status

In the field of developmental disorders, two main research approaches, the linguistic approach and the cognitive psychology of memory approach, have been used to a great extent independently. Recently, researchers have investigated simultaneously the language and verbal memory abilities – especially verbal short term memory (VSTM) and verbal working memory (VWM) – of individuals with developmental disorders. The present Special Issue contributes to the discussion of the relation between VSTM/VWM and syntax in developmental disorders. It reports empirical data from six studies on the relation between verbal memory and syntax in different disorders and languages, and it raises theoretical issues concerning these cognitive mechanisms. It concludes with three commentary articles where the authors raise crucial theoretical and methodological issues: they pose questions concerning the status of VSTM/VWM and syntax, and spell out directions for future research in this field.

scholarly journals Verbal Short-Term Memory Disturbance in the Primary Progressive Aphasias: Challenges and Distinctions in a Clinical Setting

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1060
Author(s):  
David Foxe ◽  
Sau Chi Cheung ◽  
Nicholas J. Cordato ◽  
James R. Burrell ◽  
Rebekah M. Ahmed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Primary Progressive Aphasia ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Term Memory ◽  
Primary Progressive ◽  
Case Vignettes

Impaired verbal ‘phonological’ short-term memory is considered a cardinal feature of the logopenic variant of primary progressive aphasia (lv-PPA) and is assumed to underpin most of the language deficits in this syndrome. Clinically, examination of verbal short-term memory in individuals presenting with PPA is common practice and serves two objectives: (i) to help understand the possible mechanisms underlying the patient’s language profile and (ii) to help differentiate lv-PPA from other PPA variants or from other dementia syndromes. Distinction between lv-PPA and the non-fluent variant of PPA (nfv-PPA), however, can be especially challenging due to overlapping language profiles and comparable psychometric performances on verbal short-term memory tests. Here, we present case vignettes of the three PPA variants (lv-PPA, nfv-PPA, and the semantic variant (sv-PPA)) and typical Alzheimer’s disease (AD). These vignettes provide a detailed description of the short-term and working memory profiles typically found in these patients and highlight how speech output and language comprehension deficits across the PPA variants differentially interfere with verbal memory performance. We demonstrate that a combination of verbal short-term and working memory measures provides crucial information regarding the cognitive mechanisms underlying language disturbances in PPA. In addition, we propose that analogous visuospatial span tasks are essential for the assessment of PPA as they measure memory capacity without language contamination.

scholarly journals Functional Consequences of Poor Binaural Hearing in Development: Evidence From Children With Unilateral Hearing Loss and Children Receiving Bilateral Cochlear Implants

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 233121652110512
Author(s):  
Claire McSweeny ◽  
Sharon L. Cushing ◽  
Jennifer L. Campos ◽  
Blake C. Papsin ◽  
Karen A. Gordon
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Speech Perception ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Binaural Hearing ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Unilateral Hearing Loss ◽  
Visuospatial Memory ◽  
Bilateral Cochlear Implants ◽  
Academic Deficits

Poor binaural hearing in children was hypothesized to contribute to related cognitive and academic deficits. Children with unilateral hearing have normal hearing in one ear but no access to binaural cues. Their cognitive and academic deficits could be unique from children receiving bilateral cochlear implants (CIs) at young ages who have poor access to spectral cues and impaired binaural sensitivity. Both groups are at risk for vestibular/balance deficits which could further contribute to memory and learning challenges. Eighty-eight children (43 male:45 female, aged 9.89  ±  3.40 years), grouped by unilateral hearing loss ( n = 20), bilateral CI ( n = 32), and typically developing ( n = 36), completed a battery of sensory, cognitive, and academic tests. Analyses revealed that children in both hearing loss groups had significantly poorer skills (accounting for age) on most tests than their normal hearing peers. Children with unilateral hearing loss had more asymmetric speech perception than children with bilateral CIs ( p < .0001) but balance and language deficits ( p = .0004, p < .0001, respectively) were similar in the two hearing loss groups ( p > .05). Visuospatial memory deficits occurred in both hearing loss groups ( p = .02) but more consistently across tests in children with unilateral hearing loss. Verbal memory was not significantly different than normal ( p > .05). Principal component analyses revealed deficits in a main cluster of visuospatial memory, oral language, mathematics, and reading measures (explaining 46.8% data variability). The remaining components revealed clusters of self-reported hearing, balance and vestibular function, and speech perception deficits. The findings indicate significant developmental impacts of poor binaural hearing in children.

Working memory and distributed vocabulary learning

1998 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 537-552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul W. B. Atkins ◽  
Alan D. Baddeley
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Spatial Memory ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Memory Span ◽  
Vocabulary Learning ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Encoding Strategies ◽  
Practical Implications

ABSTRACTThis study tested the hypothesis that individual differences in immediate verbal memory span would predict success in second language vocabulary acquisition. The subjects learned 56 English–Finnish translations during two sessions using a method in which they were encouraged to distribute their learning and to use semantic encoding strategies where appropriate. Verbal, but not visuo-spatial, memory span was correlated with the rate of vocabulary learning, a result that could not have occurred because of immediate retrieval from a short-term buffer. When tested one week later, the subjects were less likely to remember those words they had had difficulty learning, even though they had studied these items more often. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings for vocabulary learning are discussed.

scholarly journals Verbal working memory and inhibition-concentration in adults with cochlear implants

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
pp. 254-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron C. Moberly ◽  
Derek M. Houston ◽  
Michael S. Harris ◽  
Oliver F. Adunka ◽  
Irina Castellanos
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
Inhibition Concentration

scholarly journals Executive Functioning Skills in Preschool-Age Children With Cochlear Implants

2014 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 1521-1534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Beer ◽  
William G. Kronenberger ◽  
Irina Castellanos ◽  
Bethany G. Colson ◽  
Shirley C. Henning ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Problem Behaviors ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Preschool Age ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Inhibition Concentration

Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine whether deficits in executive functioning (EF) in children with cochlear implants (CIs) emerge as early as the preschool years. Method Two groups of children ages 3 to 6 years participated in this cross-sectional study: 24 preschoolers who had CIs prior to 36 months of age and 21 preschoolers with normal hearing (NH). All were tested on normed measures of working memory, inhibition-concentration, and organization-integration. Parents completed a normed rating scale of problem behaviors related to EF. Comparisons of EF skills of children with CIs were made to peers with NH and to published nationally representative norms. Results Preschoolers with CIs showed significantly poorer performance on inhibition-concentration and working memory compared with peers with NH and with national norms. No group differences were found in visual memory or organization-integration. When data were controlled for language, differences in performance measures of EF remained, whereas differences in parent-reported problems with EF were no longer significant. Hearing history was generally unrelated to EF. Conclusions This is the first study to demonstrate that EF deficits found in older children with CIs begin to emerge as early as preschool years. The ability to detect these deficits early has important implications for early intervention and habilitation after cochlear implantation.

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