Remediation of language processing in aphasia: Improving activation and maintenance of linguistic re

1
Remediation of language processing in aphasia
Improving activation and maintenance of
linguistic representations in verbal short-term
memoryMichelene Kalinyak-Fliszar, Francine
Kohen, Nadine Martin, Andrew DeMarco, Nick
GrubergEleanor M. Saffran Center for Cognitive
Neuroscience, Temple University, Department of
Communication SciencesPhiladelphia,
Pennsylvania, USA

• Discussion Points
• Results indicate this treatment program can
  improve the ability to access and maintain
  activation of phonological representations in
  people with aphasia.
• Results can be interpreted as evidence that
  treatment of STM abilities can improve language
  processing deficits.
• Currently administering this treatment program
  using more semantically-based stimuli to
  demonstrate its efficacy with other types and
  severities of aphasia.
• Further research is needed to test the efficacy
  of approaches for language treatment in aphasia
  that engage short-term memory processes.
• This is a promising approach for aphasia
  rehabilitation.

• Method
• Participants
• - 2 speakers with mild to moderate chronic
  fluent aphasia
• Measurements
• - Administered Temple University
  Language/Short-Term Memory Diagnostic Battery
• Battery uniquely incorporates a STM component of
  time intervals and load with measures of language
  processing
• Includes comprehensive set of measures that probe
  semantic and phonological abilities
• - Both participants demonstrated profiles
  consistent with phonological impairments
• - Both showed a decline in performance as time
  intervals and memory load increased
• Method
• - Both participants assigned to Phonological
  Module 1 (see Figure 1)

• Results
• Participant 1 FS During treatment and
  maintenance trained words showed medium to large
  effect sizes for all variables and intervals
  except in non-word 5 second Unfilled condition.
• Participant 2 BC During treatment and
  maintenance trained words showed small to medium
  effect sizes for all variables and intervals.

• Introduction
• Although aphasia is commonly viewed as a language
  impairment, verbal short-term memory (STM)
  impairments are pervasive in individuals with
  aphasia.
• Recent evidence supports the association between
  STM recovery and language deficits in aphasia
  Martin, Saffran, Dell, 1996).
• Impaired ability to maintain activation of
  linguistic representations is a fundamental
  component of aphasia (Martin Gupta, 2004).
• Researchers are beginning to develop treatment
  programs for STM impairments in aphasia (Majerus,
  Van der Kaa, Renard, Van der Linden, Poncelet,
  2005).
• We report a novel treatment for word processing
  impairments in aphasia that incorporates varying
  time intervals and load to strengthen the ability
  to maintain activation of semantic and
  phonological representations of words and
  sentences to improve language function.

Figure 1
References Dell, G.S., Schwartz, M.F., Martin,
N., Saffran, E.M. and Gagnon, D.A. (1997).
Lexical access in aphasic and non-aphasic
speakers. Psychological Review, 104 (4),
801-838. Majerus, S., Van der Kaa, M.A., Renard,
C., Van der Linden, M., Poncelet, P. (2005).
Treating verbal short-term memory deficits by
increasing the duration of temporary phonological
representations A case study. Brain and
Language, 95(1), 174-175. Martin, N. Gupta, P.
(2004). Exploring the relationship between word
processing and verbal STM Evidence from
associations and dissociations. Cognitive
Neuropsychology, 21, 213-228.
Effect Sizes for Each Interval/Variable
Acknowledgments This research was supported by a
grant from the National Institutes of Health
awarded to Temple University, Deafness and other
Communication Disorders, Grant R21 DC 008782-01
(N. Martin, PI). We are very grateful to the two
participants and to Rebecca Afman, Ferenc Bunta,
Melissa Correa, Kendall Growe, Rachel Kamen, and
Whitney Postman for collection and recording of
data.
Contact E-mail kalinyak_at_temple.edu,
nmartin_at_temple.edu, fpkohen_at_temple.edu
Effect Sizes for Each Interval/Variable