Abstract
Aphasia is an acquired impairment of language functions resulting from a brain lesion. It is usually accompanied by deficits in non-linguistic cognitive processes. This study aimed to investigate in patients with aphasia the complex interrelationships between selected cognitive functions: auditory speech comprehension, working memory (WM), and temporal information processing (TIP) in the millisecond time range. Thirty right-handed subjects (20 males) aged from 27 to 82 years suffering from post-stroke aphasia participated in the study. Verbal working memory (VWM) and spatial working memory (SWM) were assessed with: (1) a receptive verbal test and (2) the Corsi Block-Tapping Test, respectively. Both these WM tests used the forward tasks (mainly engaging maintenance processes, i.e., storing, monitoring, and matching information) and backward tasks (engaging both maintenance and manipulation processes, i.e., reordering and updating information). Auditory comprehension was assessed by receptive language tests, and TIP efficiency was assessed by auditory perception of temporal order in the millisecond time range. We observed better performance of forward WM tasks than backward ones, independently of the type of material used. Furthermore, the severity of auditory comprehension impairment correlated with the efficiency on both forward and backward VWM tasks and the backward SWM task. Further analysis revealed that TIP plays a crucial role only in the latter task. These results indicate the divergent pattern of interactions between WM and TIP depending on the type of WM tasks. Level of verbal competency appeared to play an important role in both VWM tasks, whereas TIP (which is associated with manipulation processes) appeared to be important for SWM, but only on the backward task.
Highlights
Over the years, researchers focused on the distortion of verbal communication as the core symptom of post-stroke aphasia
A similar pattern of results for SWM was noticed by Potagas et al (2011), where PWA performed significantly better on the forward than the backward task (Corsi Block-Tapping Task)
Our results indicated that these processes were related to complex interrelations between WM, auditory comprehension, and TIP
Summary
Researchers focused on the distortion of verbal communication as the core symptom of post-stroke aphasia. 2002, 2012; Hula and McNeil, 2008; Villard and Kiran, 2017), learning and memory (including working memory; Wright and Shisler, 2005; Mayer and Murray, 2012), as well as temporal information processing (TIP) considered to be a neural frame for many cognitive functions (Szelag et al, 2015). These non-language deficits may intensify communication difficulties and hinder the rehabilitation process (El Hachioui et al, 2014; Simic et al, 2019). We expected that the deficient TIP observed in PWA would play a crucial role in both language and WM deficits
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
