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Fama ME, McCall JD, DeMarco AT, Turkeltaub PE. Evidence from aphasia suggests a bidirectional relationship between inner speech and executive function. Neuropsychologia 2024; 204:108997. [PMID: 39251107 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2024.108997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Revised: 09/06/2024] [Accepted: 09/06/2024] [Indexed: 09/11/2024]
Abstract
Research over the past several decades has revealed that non-linguistic cognitive impairments can appear alongside language deficits in individuals with aphasia. One vulnerable cognitive domain is executive function, an umbrella term for the higher-level cognitive processes that allow us to direct our behavior towards a goal. Studies in healthy adults reveal that executive function abilities are supported by inner speech, the ability to use language silently in one's head. Therefore, inner speech may mediate the connection between language and executive function deficits in individuals with aphasia. Here, we investigated whether inner speech ability may link language and cognitive impairments in 59 adults with chronic, post-stroke aphasia. We used two approaches to measure inner speech: one based on internal retrieval of words and one based on internal retrieval plus silent manipulation of the retrieved phonological forms. Then, we examined relationships between these two approaches to measuring inner speech and five aspects of executive function ability: response inhibition, conflict monitoring/resolution, general task-switching ability, phonological control, and semantic control. We also looked for dissociations between inner speech ability and executive function ability. Our results show tentative relationships between inner speech (across multiple measurement approaches) and all aspects of executive function except for response inhibition. We also found evidence for a double dissociation: many participants show intact executive function despite poor inner speech, and vice versa, so neither process is strictly reliant on the other. We suggest that this work provides preliminary evidence of a bidirectional relationship between inner speech and executive function: inner speech supports some aspects of executive function via internal self-cueing and certain aspects of executive function support performance on complex inner speech tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mackenzie E Fama
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.
| | - Joshua D McCall
- Department of Neurology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Andrew T DeMarco
- Department of Neurology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA; Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Peter E Turkeltaub
- Department of Neurology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA; Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA; Research Division, MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital, Washington, DC, USA
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Cui L, Zhang Z, Guo Y, Li Y, Xie F, Guo Q. Category Switching Test: A Brief Amyloid-β-Sensitive Assessment Tool for Mild Cognitive Impairment. Assessment 2024; 31:543-556. [PMID: 37081801 DOI: 10.1177/10731911231167537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/22/2023]
Abstract
The Category Switching Test (CaST) is a verbal fluency test with active semantic category switching. This study aimed to explore the association between CaST performance and brain amyloid-β (Aβ) burden in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and the neurofunctional mechanisms. A total of 112 participants with MCI underwent Florbetapir positron emission tomography, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, and a neuropsychological test battery. The high Aβ burden group had worse CaST performance than the low-burden group. CaST score and left middle temporal gyrus fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) related inversely to the global Florbetapir standardized uptake value rate. Functional connectivity between the left middle temporal gyrus and frontal lobe decreased widely and correlated with CaST score in the high Aβ burden group. Thus, CaST score and left middle temporal gyrus fALFF were valuable in discriminating high Aβ burden. CaST might be useful in screening for MCI with high Aβ burden.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Cui
- Department of Gerontology, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhen Zhang
- Department of Gerontology, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yihan Guo
- School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Yuehua Li
- Department of Gerontology, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Fang Xie
- Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET Center, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Qihao Guo
- Department of Gerontology, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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Sakai K, Hosoi Y, Tanabe J. Intervention and assessment of executive dysfunction in patients with stroke: A scoping review. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0298000. [PMID: 38319926 PMCID: PMC10846717 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0298000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Rehabilitation methods for executive dysfunction were focused on cognitive rehabilitation in patients with stroke and traumatic brain injury. However, no reviews have focused on the various rehabilitation methods and assessment of executive function in patients with only stroke and included various study designs. This study aimed to identify various interventions and assessments in patients with stroke and executive dysfunction via a scoping review. We searched for articles using the PubMed, Web of Science, and CINAHL databases. Two reviewers independently screened the articles based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria using the title, abstract, and full text. We subsequently determined the study design, sample size, time since stroke, intervention, and assessment. We extracted 1131 articles, of which 27 articles were selected. The study designs were randomized controlled trials (81.5%), pilot studies (11.1%), and feasibility studies (7.4%), with a total of 599 participants. Interventions varied from cognitive training (22.2%), virtual reality (22.2%), noninvasive brain stimulation (14.8%), and dual-task training (11.1%), with consistent results. The assessments used were the Trail Making Test Part B (70.4%), Stroop Color and Word Test (44.4%), Digit Symbol Test, Frontal Assessment Battery, and Tower of London test (11.1%). In conclusion, this scoping review provided various interventions and assessments in patients with stroke with executive dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katsuya Sakai
- Faculty of Health Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuichiro Hosoi
- Department of Rehabilitation of Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Sports Health Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Junpei Tanabe
- Department of Physical Therapy, Hiroshima Cosmopolitan University, Hiroshima, Japan
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Choinski M, Stanczyk M, Szymaszek A. Cognitive training incorporating temporal information processing improves linguistic and non-linguistic functions in people with aphasia. Sci Rep 2023; 13:14053. [PMID: 37640772 PMCID: PMC10462731 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-41045-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
People with aphasia (PWA) often present deficits in non-linguistic cognitive functions, such as executive functions, working memory, and temporal information processing (TIP), which intensify the associated speech difficulties and hinder the rehabilitation process. Therefore, training targeting non-linguistic cognitive function deficiencies may be useful in the treatment of aphasia. The present study compared the effects of the novel Dr. Neuronowski® training method (experimental training), which particularly emphasizes TIP, with the linguistic training commonly applied in clinical practice (control training). Thirty four PWA underwent linguistic and non-linguistic assessments before and after the training as well as a follow-up assessment. Patients were randomly assigned to either experimental (n = 18) or control groups (n = 16). The experimental training improved both non-linguistic functions (TIP and verbal short-term and working memory) and linguistic functions: phoneme discrimination, sentence comprehension, grammar comprehension, verbal fluency, and naming. In contrast, the control training improved only grammar comprehension and naming. The follow-up assessment confirmed the stability of the effects of both trainings over time. Thus, in PWA, Dr. Neuronowski® training appears to have broader benefits for linguistic and non-linguistic functions than does linguistic training. This provides evidence that Dr. Neuronowski® may be considered a novel tool with potential clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mateusz Choinski
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology of Mind, BRAINCITY-Center of Excellence for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Magdalena Stanczyk
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology of Mind, BRAINCITY-Center of Excellence for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Aneta Szymaszek
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology of Mind, BRAINCITY-Center of Excellence for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland.
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Abstract
Executive function is frequently impaired among people who have sustained stroke. This review provides an overview of definitions, concepts, and measures. The review also summarizes current best evidence examining executive function impairment and recovery trajectories after stroke, correlates of change over time, and emerging intervention research. Finally, this review provides recommendations for research and clinical practices, as well as priorities for future executive function research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth R Skidmore
- Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, PA (E.R.S.)
| | - Gail Eskes
- Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, Canada (G.E.)
| | - Amy Brodtmann
- Cognitive Health Initiative, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia (A.B.)
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Schumacher R, Halai AD, Lambon Ralph MA. Assessing executive functions in post-stroke aphasia-utility of verbally based tests. Brain Commun 2022; 4:fcac107. [PMID: 35602650 PMCID: PMC9118101 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcac107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2021] [Revised: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
It is increasingly acknowledged that, often, patients with post-stroke aphasia not only have language impairments but also deficits in other cognitive domains (e.g. executive functions) that influence recovery and response to therapy. Many assessments of executive functions are verbally based and therefore usually not administered in this patient group. However, the performance of patients with aphasia in such tests might provide valuable insights both from a theoretical and clinical perspective. We aimed to elucidate (i) if verbal executive tests measure anything beyond the language impairment in patients with chronic post-stroke aphasia, (ii) how performance in such tests relates to performance in language tests and nonverbal cognitive functions, and (iii) the neural correlates associated with performance in verbal executive tests. In this observational study, three commonly used verbal executive tests were administered to a sample of patients with varying aphasia severity. Their performance in these tests was explored by means of principal component analyses, and the relationships with a broad range of background tests regarding their language and nonverbal cognitive functions were elucidated with correlation analyses. Furthermore, lesion analyses were performed to explore brain-behaviour relationships. In a sample of 32 participants, we found that: (i) a substantial number of patients with aphasia were able to perform the verbal executive tests; (ii) variance in performance was not explained by the severity of an individual's overall language impairment alone but was related to two independent behavioural principal components per test; (iii) not all aspects of performance were related to the patient's language abilities; and (iv) all components were associated with separate neural correlates, some overlapping partly in frontal and parietal regions. Our findings extend our clinical and theoretical understanding of dysfunctions beyond language in patients with aphasia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahel Schumacher
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge CB2 7EF, United Kingdom
- Department of Neurology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, and University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Ajay D. Halai
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge CB2 7EF, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew A. Lambon Ralph
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge CB2 7EF, United Kingdom
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