Long Term Objective: This proposal is part o a program that combines clinical and basic research objectives, with the long term goal of elucidating brain-behavior relationships in aphasic patients. There is emerging evidence that perseveration is an integral component of some aphasia syndromes, and can be a major deterrent to evaluation and rehabilitation of aphasic individuals. The focus here is on the role of perseveration in the communication breakdown in aphasia and the effects of treatment on perseveration and language performance. The proposed research aims: 1) to test the two most commonly cited hypotheses regarding the underlying mechanisms responsible for recurrent perseveration in aphasia, i.e. post-activitation of semantic memory traces in short term memory versus motor memory traces; 2) to study the effects of specific treatment on aphasic perseveration; 3) to study patients' awareness of perseverative responses; and 4) to qualitatively and quantitatively chart the evolutionary course of perseveration in patients who receive specific treatment for perseveration versus those who do not receive treatment for perseveration.

Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
Budget End
Support Year
26
Fiscal Year
1991
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Boston University
Department
Type
DUNS #
604483045
City
Boston
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
02118
Rehak, A; Kaplan, J A; Gardner, H (1992) Sensitivity to conversational deviance in right-hemisphere-damaged patients. Brain Lang 42:203-17
Rehak, A; Kaplan, J A; Weylman, S T et al. (1992) Story processing in right-hemisphere brain-damaged patients. Brain Lang 42:320-36
Brownell, H H; Carroll, J J; Rehak, A et al. (1992) The use of pronoun anaphora and speaker mood in the interpretation of conversational utterances by right hemisphere brain-damaged patients. Brain Lang 43:121-47