Principal Investigator/Program Director (Last, first, middle): MARTIN, NADINE RESEARCH &RELATED Other Project Information 1. * Are Human Subjects Involved? l Yes m No 1.a. If YES to Human Subjects Is the IRB review Pending? l Yes m No IRB Approval Date: Exemption Number: 1 2 3 4 5 6 Human Subject Assurance Number 00004964 2. * Are Vertebrate Animals Used? m Yes l No 2.a. If YES to Vertebrate Animals Is the IACUC review Pending? m Yes m No IACUC Approval Date: Animal Welfare Assurance Number 3. * Is proprietary/privileged information m Yes l No included in the application? 4.a.* Does this project have an actual or potential impact on m Yes l No the environment? 4.b. If yes, please explain: 4.c. If this project has an actual or potential impact on the environment, has an exemption been authorized or an environmental assessment (EA) or environmental impact statement (EIS) been performed? m Yes m No 4.d. If yes, please explain: 5.a.* Does this project involve activities outside the U.S. or m Yes l No partnership with International Collaborators? 5.b. If yes, identify countries: 5.c. Optional Explanation: 6. * Project Summary/Abstract abstract.pdf Mime Type: application/octet-stream 7. * Project Narrative projplan.pdf Mime Type: application/octet-stream 8. Bibliography &References Cited ref.pdf Mime Type: application/octet-stream 9. Facilities &Other Resources Facilities_Upload.pdf Mime Type: application/octet-stream 10. Equipment 11. Other Attachments otherAttachments1.pdf Mime Type: application/octet-stream 11. Other Attachments otherAttachments2.pdf Mime Type: application/octet-stream 11. Other Attachments otherAttachments3.pdf Mime Type: application/octet-stream Tracking Number: Other Information Page 5 OMB Number: 4040-0001 Expiration Date: 04/30/2008 Principal Investigator/Program Director (Last, first, middle): MARTIN, NADINE Martin, Nadine R21 DC00878201 Project Summary. One focus of research in aphasia therapy has been to understand how the content of treatment interacts with impaired word representations (Nettleton &Lesser, 1992) and whether therapy is more effective if its content directly stimulates impaired representations (e.g., semantic therapy for semantic impairments). This focus is important, but does not address the dynamic processes of word retrieval. We propose to investigate an approach to treatment of aphasia that targets the processes by which semantic and phonological representations of words are activated and maintained during comprehension and production of language. This focus is timely, as these activation processes have been described and tested as accounts of aphasic impairment in models of word processing (e.g., Dell, Schwartz, Martin, Saffran &Gagnon, 1997) and verbal short-term memory (STM) deficits in aphasia (Martin &Gupta, 2004). Moreover, recent studies of treatments for auditory-verbal STM deficits in aphasia have invoked these theoretical models as a framework for linking STM deficits with comprehension and production deficits in aphasia (Majerus, van der Kaa, Renard, Vander Linden & Poncelet, 2005). Thus, following models that connect the two deficits by way of the dynamics of activation processes (Martin &Saffran, 1997), we will extend this connection to treatment that focuses on improving the ability to maintain activation of word representations. The project includes two parts. First, we will obtain normative data from aphasic and nonaphasic individuals on a diagnostic battery that assesses the ability to activate and maintain activation of semantic and phonological representations of single and multiple word utterances. Second, we will test the efficacy of a treatment program to improve the ability to activate and maintain activation of semantic and/or phonological representations of single word and multiple word utterances in short-term memory. The efficacy of the treatment will be examined with probes of acquisition and maintenance in a multiple baseline across multiple stimuli design, and with comparisons of pre- and post-test
