The present project is proposed to continue work toward establishing the effects of treatment for sentence deficits in agrammatic (Broca's) aphasia. In this research we examine the relevance of linguistic theory to understanding sentence breakdown and recovery patterns in aphasia and gather data to further developing accounts of normal sentence production. We plan to build on previous work highlighting the important role that linguistic structure can play in guiding treatment for aphasia. In particular, we examine and manipulate lexical and syntactic properties of sentences that are the most difficult for agrammatic aphasic subjects. We focus on (a) sentence structures (e.g., filler gap structures) in which noun phrases (NPs), and other elements (e.g., verbs and auxiliaries) have been moved out of their original d-structure positions, (b) functional categories (e.g., verb tense morphology and complementizers), and (c) verb and verb argument structure. ? ? We also continue to test the hypothesis that training more complex rather than simple structures will result in greater improvement in aspects of sentence production and comprehension. We define sentence complexity in terms of the (a) type of movement involved in sentences, i.e., wh- and NP-movement, (b) phrasal tree structure and the relation between nodes in the syntactic tree, and (c) the number and type of embeddings. In addition, we consider the lexical properties of verbs and how they impact syntactic operations in determining complexity. ? ? In this period we also extend our work to begin to understand mechanisms that generate observed recovery patterns. Using head-mounted eyetracking, we examine filler gap processing in normal participants and in aphasic patients prior to and following treatment. FMRI studies also are included to examine the neural mechanisms of recovery. While neuroimaging studies have begun to elucidate the neural correlates of language, few have examined brain sites recruited by aphasic patients, and even fewer have studied the neural mechanisms supporting recovery. FMRI studies undertaken in the previous cycle showed important changes in activation patterns from pre- to post-treatment. We, therefore, continue this effort in our continuing studies. ? ?

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
2R01DC001948-10
Application #
6573199
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-BBBP-5 (03))
Program Officer
Cooper, Judith
Project Start
1992-09-01
Project End
2007-11-30
Budget Start
2002-12-05
Budget End
2003-11-30
Support Year
10
Fiscal Year
2003
Total Cost
$463,579
Indirect Cost
Name
Northwestern University at Chicago
Department
Other Health Professions
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
160079455
City
Evanston
State
IL
Country
United States
Zip Code
60201
Mack, Jennifer E; Thompson, Cynthia K (2017) Recovery of Online Sentence Processing in Aphasia: Eye Movement Changes Resulting From Treatment of Underlying Forms. J Speech Lang Hear Res 60:1299-1315
Mack, Jennifer E; Nerantzini, Michaela; Thompson, Cynthia K (2017) Recovery of Sentence Production Processes Following Language Treatment in Aphasia: Evidence from Eyetracking. Front Hum Neurosci 11:101
Schuchard, Julia; Thompson, Cynthia K (2017) Sequential learning in individuals with agrammatic aphasia: evidence from artificial grammar learning. J Cogn Psychol (Hove) 29:521-534
Schuchard, Julia; Nerantzini, Michaela; Thompson, Cynthia K (2017) Implicit learning and implicit treatment outcomes in individuals with aphasia. Aphasiology 31:25-48
Mack, Jennifer E; Wei, Andrew Zu-Sern; Gutierrez, Stephanie et al. (2016) Tracking sentence comprehension: Test-retest reliability in people with aphasia and unimpaired adults. J Neurolinguistics 40:98-111
Cho-Reyes, Soojin; Mack, Jennifer E; Thompson, Cynthia K (2016) Grammatical Encoding and Learning in Agrammatic Aphasia: Evidence from Structural Priming. J Mem Lang 91:202-218
Wang, Honglei; Thompson, Cynthia K (2016) Assessing Syntactic Deficits in Chinese Broca's aphasia using the Northwestern Assessment of Verbs and Sentences-Chinese (NAVS-C). Aphasiology 30:815-840
Lee, Jiyeon; Thompson, Cynthia K (2015) Phonological facilitation effects on naming latencies and viewing times during noun and verb naming in agrammatic and anomic aphasia. Aphasiology 29:1164-1188
Meltzer-Asscher, Aya; Mack, Jennifer E; Barbieri, Elena et al. (2015) How the brain processes different dimensions of argument structure complexity: evidence from fMRI. Brain Lang 142:65-75
Lee, Jiyeon; Yoshida, Masaya; Thompson, Cynthia K (2015) Grammatical Planning Units During Real-Time Sentence Production in Speakers With Agrammatic Aphasia and Healthy Speakers. J Speech Lang Hear Res 58:1182-94

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