Discourse and cognition in speakers with acquired brain injury (ABI): a systematic review

Spoken discourse in episodic autobiographical and verbal short-term memory in Chinese people with dementia: the roles of global coherence and informativeness

Introduction

Memory and discourse production are closely related in healthy populations. A few studies in people with amnestic mild cognitive impairment and people with dementia (PWD) suggested similar links, although empirical evidence is insufficient to inform emerging intervention design and natural language processing research. Fine-grained discourse assessment is needed to understand their complex relationship in PWD.

Methods

Spoken samples from 104 PWD were elicited using personal narrative and sequential picture description and assessed using Main Concept Analysis and other content-based analytic methods. Discourse and memory performance data were analyzed in bivariate correlation and linear multiple regression models to determine the relationship between discourse production and episodic autobiographical memory and verbal short-term memory (vSTM).

Results

Global coherence was a significant predictor of episodic autobiographical memory, explaining over half of the variance. Both episodic autobiographical memory and vSTM were positively correlated with global coherence and informativeness, and negatively with empty speech indices.

Discussion

Coherence in personal narrative may be supported by episodic autobiographical memory and vice versa, suggesting potential mechanism of interventions targeting personhood through conversation. Indices of global coherence, informativeness, and empty speech can be used as markers of memory functions in PWD.

Descriptive discourse in fluent aphasia: The predictive role of attention, phonology, lexical retrieval and semantics

AIMS

To study the relationship between cognitive and linguistic skills (as measured through standardized tasks) over spontaneous speech elicited during a picture description task.

METHODS & PROCEDURES

21 controls and 19 people with fluent aphasia matched by age and sex were evaluated using transcripts made from a picture description task coded using the CHAT format and analyzed using Computerized Language Analysis (CLAN). Indices obtained from the speech samples contained measures of lexical quantity and diversity, morphosyntactic complexity, informativeness, and speech fluency, along with different kinds of speech errors. We studied their correlations with attentional measures from Conners' Continuous Performance Test and with standardized measures of naming, pseudoword repetition and semantic non-verbal association. We further used stepwise linear regression to analyze the predictive value of standardized linguistic and cognitive skills over discursive indices.

OUTCOMES & RESULTS

Contrary to our initial hypothesis, there were no significant correlations between attentional scores and discourse variables in aphasic participants. Moreover, semantic association, along with naming, was the measure more related with discourse performance in people with fluent aphasia, but cognitive and linguistic standardized measures had overall little predictive power on most discourse indices. In the control group, there was a certain association of naming skills and attentional reaction time with discourse variables, but their predictive power was also low.

CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS

The current results do not support a strong relationship between basic attentional skills and performance in descriptive discourse in fluent aphasia. Although some of the standardized tasks seem to bear some relationship with spontaneous speech, there is a high amount of interindividual variability in discourse that is not captured by classical cognitive tasks routinely used in assessment. Further work on the determinants of discourse performance in aphasia and on the clinical application of discourse analysis is warranted.

Cognitive-Communication Complaints and Referrals for Speech-Language Pathology Services Following Concussion

PURPOSE

Speech-language pathologists are increasingly being recognized as key members of concussion management teams. This study investigates whether self-report of communication problems postconcussion may be useful in identifying clients who could benefit from speech-language pathology services.

METHOD

Participants included 41 adolescents and adults from an outpatient specialty concussion clinic. All completed the La Trobe Communication Questionnaire (LCQ) at admission, and 23 repeated this measure at discharge. Participants were prospectively enrolled, with chart reviews providing demographic, injury, and medical factors. The analysis considered (a) communication complaints and resolution over time, including comparison to two previously published LCQ studies of typical adults and adults with and without traumatic brain injury (TBI); (b) the relationship between communication complaints, participant factors, and common concussion assessments; and (c) factors related to speech-language pathology service referral for rehabilitation.

RESULTS

At first visit, 12 of 41 participants (29%) reported communication problems, although 19 (46%) reported difficulty with greater than half of LCQ items. At a group level, compared to published reference data of both people with chronic mixed severity TBI and controls, participants in this study reported more problems at first visit with communication overall, as well as greater difficulty with the LCQ Initiation/Conversation Flow subscale. Partner Sensitivity subscale scores at first visit were also greater than published control data. LCQ subscale scores of Initiation/Conversation Flow and Partner Sensitivity decreased from first visit to last visit, demonstrating resolution over time. Only concussion symptom scales and not demographic, injury, or cognitive screenings were related to LCQ scores. The same two LCQ subscales, Initiation/Conversation Flow and Partner Sensitivity, predicted referral for speech-language pathology services, along with symptom scales and being injured due to motor vehicle crash.

DISCUSSION

A subset of people recovering from concussion report experiencing communication problems. Reporting of particular communication problems was related to referral for speech-language pathology rehabilitation services and may be useful in directing care after concussion.

Die Erhebung von kommunikativ-pragmatischen Fähigkeiten und Lebensqualität nach Schädel-Hirn-Trauma

Zusammenfassung. Hintergrund: Kommunikationsstörungen nach Schädel-Hirn-Trauma (SHT) können die Betroffenen langfristig in der sozialen Teilhabe und damit in der Lebensqualität (LQ) beeinträchtigen. Der Erfassung dieser Störungen liegt aktuell kein einheitliches Vorgehen zugrunde. Ziele: Ziel des vorliegenden Scoping Reviews war die Erfassung von Diagnostikverfahren, welche die kommunikativ-pragmatischen Kompetenzen und die Auswirkung möglicher kommunikativer Defizite auf soziale Teilhabe und LQ bei Menschen mit SHT überprüfen. Ergebnisse: Eine systematische Datenbankrecherche für den Veröffentlichungszeitraum 2010 bis 2020 identifizierte 14 relevante Testverfahren (6 auf Deutsch verfügbar). Eine inhaltliche und methodische Analyse stellte Verfahren zur Überprüfung der Kommunikationsfähigkeit (z. B. La Trobe Communication Questionnaire [LCQ]) und Verfahren zur Erfassung von Partizipation und LQ (z. B. Quality of Life after Brain Injury [QOLIBRI]) heraus. Zusammenfassung: Trotz der hohen Auftretenshäufigkeit und Persistenz kommunikativer Störungen nach SHT stehen im deutschsprachigen Raum bislang wenige geeignete Diagnostikverfahren zur Ermittlung von Kommunikationsfähigkeiten und LQ zur Verfügung. Eine weiterführende Entwicklung erscheint unerlässlich.

Discourse Analysis of Humor After Traumatic Brain Injury

Purpose Individuals with cognitive communication difficulties after traumatic brain injury (TBI) often experience difficulties with social communication. Humor is a sociolinguistic skill that requires social, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral skills and, when used effectively, may serve to enhance one's social relationships. There is a paucity of research related to the use of humor in individuals with TBI. This study categorizes humor use in individuals with cognitive communication difficulties after TBI and examines the linguistic construction of these humorous exchanges. Method The humorous exchanges of nine individuals who had cognitive communication difficulties after a moderate-to-severe TBI were examined. Conversations were collected from a community-based communication skills group, categorized using thematic analysis methods, and examined linguistically using the discourse analysis tools of systemic functional linguistics. Results All participants demonstrated the ability to use a variety of categories of humor, and discourse analysis methods revealed humor use as a strength for engaging with others. Examples of such engagement include use of humor to elicit attention, assert authority, share information, acknowledge shared difficulties, and demonstrate affiliation toward their communication partners. Conclusions Discourse analysis of humor can provide speech-language pathologists with important information about the linguistic strengths of individuals with cognitive communication difficulties. This has important implications for clinical service provision.

Reading Abilities Post Traumatic Brain Injury in Adolescents and Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Purpose People with traumatic brain injury (TBI) often struggle with complex reading, limiting participation in work and educational settings. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined studies of reading conducted with adolescents and adults with TBI to describe reading problems post TBI and investigate underlying factors for the effects of TBI on reading abilities. Method The search was conducted in EBSCO (including MEDLINE, PsycINFO, etc.), BIOSIS, ProQuest, and Web of Science. Empirical studies that used samples with a mean age greater than 10 years, reported injury characteristics, and investigated complex reading abilities (defined as greater than single-word reading) were eligible for this review. Study quality was evaluated using QualSyst. Study and sample characteristics, measures, and outcomes of interest were extracted and synthesized in the review. Studies that compared reading abilities between people with and without TBI were included in the meta-analysis. Results Twenty-four studies met inclusion criteria, six of which addressed reading in pediatric samples. Findings from heterogeneous samples supported the existence of reading deficits post TBI, including mild TBI. In studies of children, comprehension was examined most frequently, whereas reading speed was the focus of most adult studies. Oculomotor functions and processing speed were related to reading speed; cognitive functions, such as attention and memory, were associated with reading comprehension. Intervention studies were limited, but most reported positive effects. The meta-analysis confirmed the impact of TBI on reading with a large effect size (g = 1.23). Demographic, injury, and study variables did not moderate overall reading outcomes, but male sex was a significant moderator of impairment in reading speed. Discussion Global reading ability, including both comprehension and speed, is negatively impacted by TBI. Future research should continue to explore reading after TBI, including its underlying mechanisms, effects on complex reading activities such as inferencing, development of screening and assessment tools that address a range of functional reading needs, and efficacy of reading-related interventions.