Search

The logopenic variant of primary progressive aphasia (lvPPA) is characterized mainly by anomia, production of phonological errors, and impairment in repetition of sentences. The functional origin of these language impairments is mainly attributed to the breakdown of phonological short-term memory. The present study examined the effects of phonological short-term memory impairment on language processing in lvPPA. In two studies, 11 participants with lvPPA and 11 healthy control participants were presented with repetition tasks in which the type and length of stimuli and the mode of administration were manipulated. Study 1 aimed to examine the influence of length and lexicality (words vs. pseudowords) on immediate and delayed repetition, whereas Study 2 aimed to examine the influence of length, syntactic complexity (nominalized vs. pronominalized sentences), and serial position on immediate sentence repetition. Study 1 showed that participants' performance with lvPPA was impaired only on immediate repetition of five-syllable pseudowords and on delayed repetition of words and pseudowords. Study 2 showed that participants' performance with lvPPA was impaired in the repetition of nominalized sentences where a recency effect was observed. Repetition of pronominalized sentences was also impaired in the lvPPA group. This study provides additional support for arguments regarding phonological short-term memory as a cause of language impairment in lvPPA. Clinically, the results of the study suggest that instruments for assessing repetition ability in lvPPA should include not only lists of short or long nominalized sentences, but also delayed repetition of words and pseudowords and pronominalized sentences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is associated with progressive loss of language functions in the context of irreversible neurodegeneration, for which there is no cure. Speech-language therapy can help preserve language abilities, and most promisingly, interventions like transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) have been shown to augment the effectiveness of therapy. However, the underlying mechanism for this enhancement is unknown. We evaluated the behavioural and physiological (using resting-state magnetoencephalography [rsMEG]) effects of contemporary naming treatment provided with tDCS in a patient with an advanced case of nonfluent variant PPA (P01; 67 year old male). P01 was mute but had preserved written abilities, which we aimed to enhance with written naming therapy and excitatory or anodal-tDCS. We hypothesized greater improvement in written performance, particularly immediate gains, maintenance, and generalization, after anodal- than sham-tDCS. Additionally, reductions in oscillatory abnormal activity, as indicated by rsMEG, were expected after repeated sessions of anodal-tDCS with the naming treatment. A written picture naming therapy was paired with five sessions of anodal and five sessions of sham high-definition tDCS over two weeks. Anatomical and neurophysiological abnormalities were mapped with structural-MRI and rsMEG, respectively. TDCS was targeted towards an anatomically intact left supramarginal gyrus. The therapy-induced changes in written performance were evaluated on both trained and untrained pictures using Levenshtein Distances (LD). The neurophysiological changes were evaluated by comparing spectral relative power estimates in frequency bands ranging from delta to low-gamma (1–50 Hz), before and after therapy. All evaluations were completed immediately after therapy with sham- and anodal-tDCS, and at a 3-month follow-up. Compared to sham-tDCS, anodal-tDCS augmented the immediate therapy-induced gains on trained items, as indicated by reductions in LD scores, reflecting improvement in written performance, particularly for more difficult target words. Neural activity at the stimulation spot and in surrounding and remote regions exhibited reduced oscillatory slowing, both immediately after one session (short-term) and after completion of five sessions (long-term) of anodal-tDCS compared to sham-tDCS. This is manifested as decreased theta (1–4 Hz) and increased beta and low-gamma (15–50 Hz) power. No additional gains with anodal-tDCS were found on untrained items (generalization) or at 3-month follow-up (maintenance). Our findings suggest that five sessions of anodal-tDCS can improve written performance by partially reversing abnormal neural activity and thus boosting the functional capacity of the structurally intact cortex. Longer duration of treatment may be needed for additional gains in maintenance and generalization with anodal-tDCS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the treatment for lexical anomia in individuals with aphasia (IWA) was shown effective, little is known about the optimal treatment intensity required. The aim of this study was to verify whether intensive and non-intensive treatments led to different outcomes when parameters of intensity are rigorously controlled. Six IWA with post-stroke lexical anomia received phonological treatment at two distinct frequencies: intensive (four times a week) and non-intensive (once a week). Results showed that both treatments were equally effective. This finding is especially relevant in contexts in which speech-language therapy delivery services are limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, public services in speech-language pathology for primary progressive aphasia (PPA) are very limited, although several interventions have been shown to be effective. In this context, new technologies have the potential to enable people with PPA to improve their communication skills. The main aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of a self-administered therapy using a smart tablet to improve naming of functional words and to assess generalization to an ecological conversation task. Five adults with PPA completed the protocol. Using an ABA design with multiple baselines, naming performance was compared across four equivalent lists: (1) trained with functional words; (2) trained with words from a picture database; (3) exposed but not trained; and (4) not exposed (control). Treatment was self-administered four times a week for a period of four consecutive weeks. A significant improvement for trained words was found in all five participants, and gains were maintained two months post-treatment in four of them. Moreover, in three participants, evidence of generalization was found in conversation. This study supports the efficacy of using a smart tablet to improve naming in PPA and suggests the possibility of generalization to an ecological context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to establish normative data for the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, a test assessing verbal episodic memory, in the older French-Quebec population. Method: A total of 432 French-speaking participants aged between 55 and 93 years old, from the Province of Quebec (Canada), were included in the study. Using multiple regression analyses, normative data were developed for five variable of interest, namely scores on trial 1, sum of trials 1 to 5, interference list B, immediate recall of list A, and delayed recall of list A. Results: Results showed that age, education, and sex were associated with performance on all variables. Equations to calculate the expected score for a participant based on sex, age, and education level as well as the Z score were developed. Conclusion: This study provides clinicians with normative data that take into account the participants' sociodemographic characteristics, thus giving a more accurate interpretation of the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aphasia is a chronic condition that usually requires long-term rehabilitation. However, even if many effective treatments can be offered to patients and families, speech therapy services for individuals with aphasia often remain limited because of logistical and financial considerations, especially more than 6 months after stroke. Therefore, the need to develop tools to maximize rehabilitation potential is unquestionable. The aim of this study was to test the efficacy of a self-administered treatment delivered with a smart tablet to improve written verb naming skills in CP, a 63-year-old woman with chronic aphasia. An ABA multiple baseline design was used to compare CP’s performance in verb naming on three equivalent lists of stimuli trained with a hierarchy of cues, trained with no cues, and not trained. Results suggest that graphemic cueing therapy, done four times a week for 3 weeks, led to better written verb naming compared to baseline and to the untrained list. Moreover, generalization of the effects of treatment was observed in verb production, assessed with a noun-to-verb production task. Results of this study suggest that self-administered training with a smart tablet is effective in improving naming skills in chronic aphasia. Future studies are needed to confirm the effectiveness of new technologies in self-administered treatment of acquired language deficits. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Dementia Rating Scale-2 is used to measure cognitive status of adults with cognitive impairment, especially of the degenerative type, by assessing five cognitive functions, namely attention, initiation/perseveration, construction, conceptualization, and memory. The present study aimed to establish normative data for this test in the elderly French-Quebec population. A total of 432 French-speaking elders from the province of Quebec (Canada), aged 50 to 85 years, were administered the Dementia Rating Scale-2. Age and education were found to be associated with the total score on the test, while gender was not. Percentile ranks were then calculated for age- and education-stratified groups. Previous studies have shown that cultural background can affect performance on the DRS and the development of culture-specific norms for French-speaking Quebecers could be very useful to clinicians and researchers working with this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]