Purpose: This study investigated the effects of a mapping therapy program on sentence comprehension, sentence production, and spontaneous speech in adults with Broca’s aphasia. Methods: Four adults with moderate to severe Broca’s aphasia participated in a single-subject design study consisting of a pre-assessment, 16 therapy sessions, and a post-assessment. A Korean-adapted mapping therapy program was applied, and outcomes were measured using sentence comprehension, sentence production, and spontaneous speech analysis. Results: All participants showed improvements in sentence comprehension and production, with average increases of 13.1% and 34.3%, respectively. Improvements were also observed in grammaticality, mean length of utterance, and sentence complexity in spontaneous speech. Conclusion: Mapping therapy effectively enhanced syntactic processing and grammatical accuracy and promoted generalization to spontaneous speech. These findings suggest its clinical value in language rehabilitation for individuals with Broca’s aphasia.

Purpose: This study compared reading and writing performance between older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and non-amnestic mild cognitive impairment (naMCI), and examined whether frontal-executive functions were associated with task performance. Methods: Twenty-two older adults participated: 11 with aMCI and 11 with naMCI. Reading tasks included regular words, irregular words, regular nonwords, and irregular nonwords from the Korean Languagebased Reading Assessment (KOLRA), as well as irregular word and nonword reading tasks from the Paradise·Korean version of the Western Aphasia Battery-Revised (PK-WAB-R). Writing was assessed using irregular word and nonword dictation tasks from the PK-WAB-R. Frontal-executive functions were evaluated using semantic and phonemic verbal fluency, the Korean-Color Word Stroop Test, and the Korean-Trail Making Test for the Elderly. Group differences were analyzed using Mann-Whitney <i>U</i>-tests, and Spearman correlations were conducted for tasks showing significant group differences. Results: Compared with the naMCI group, the aMCI group showed significantly poorer performance on irregular nonword reading (KOLRA) and irregular word reading and writing (PKWAB-R). In the overall MCI group, irregular nonword reading was positively correlated with Stroop word reading, irregular word reading was correlated with semantic verbal fluency, and irregular word writing was correlated with Stroop word/color reading and semantic verbal fluency. Conclusion: Older adults with aMCI showed selective impairment in linguistically demanding reading and writing tasks requiring irregularity processing. These findings suggest that such tasks rely not only on lexical processing but also on frontal-executive control, and may serve as sensitive indicators of languagerelated vulnerability in aMCI.

This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of the multilingual automatic speech recognition (ASR) model Whisper large-v3 (OpenAI, San Francisco, CA, USA) in recognizing isolated Korean monosyllables (consonant-vowel and consonant-vowel-consonant structures) produced by two older adults with sensorineural hearing loss, using expert audiologists as the perceptual reference standard. Two older Korean adults (87-year-old male, 78-year-old female) each produced 130 Korean monosyllables. Four audiologists independently transcribed the tokens under blinded conditions. The same audio files were processed using Whisper large-v3 (OpenAI) in an offline environment with Korean language settings. Phoneme-level accuracy, inter-rater agreement, and error patterns were compared across raters, speakers, and phoneme categories. Audiologist transcription showed moderate agreement (mean accuracy: 59.7% for S-001 and 61.7% for S-002; perfect agreement: 55.4% and 62.0%, respectively), reflecting variability in elderly speech perception. In contrast, Whisper demonstrated substantially lower accuracy (13.1% and 13.8%), with high error rates. Errors were primarily observed in specific phoneme categories, including tense consonants, fricatives, liquids, and mid-front vowels, whereas nasals and high vowels were relatively preserved. Whisper did not achieve higher transcription accuracy than audiologists for any monosyllable tested. Whisper large-v3 (OpenAI) shows substantially lower performance than human audiologists in phoneme-level transcription of Korean monosyllables produced by older adults with sensorineural hearing loss. These findings suggest that general-purpose ASR systems have limited clinical applicability in this population and should currently be considered as assistive tools rather than replacements for expert evaluation. Further development, including elderly- and Korean-specific model adaptation, is required.

Purpose: This study examined the relationships among perceived health and functional status, hearing aid self-efficacy, and communication-related quality of life (CRQoL) in older adults with continuous hearing aid use, and identified demographic influences. Methods: The participants included 105 adults aged ≥50 years in Busan, South Korea, who had used hearing aids for at least 3 months. Data were collected using questionnaires assessing perceived health and functional status, CRQoL, and a modified Korean version of the measure of audiologic rehabilitation self-efficacy for hearing aids. Descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, one-way analysis of variances, and Pearson’s correlation analyses were performed. Results: Participants rated their hearing status most positively and their emotional well-being and cognitive function lowest. The mean self-efficacy score for hearing aid use was 3.78, with the highest scores for basic handling and the lowest for advanced handling skills. The mean CRQoL score was 3.59, with “roles and self-identity” rated highest and “interpersonal interaction” lowest. Age differences were significant for self-efficacy and CRQoL (<i>p</i> < 0.05), whereas gender and education levels were not. Correlation analysis revealed significant positive associations between perceived health and functional status and both self-efficacy (<i>r</i> = 0.280 to 0.487; <i>p</i> < 0.01) and CRQoL (<i>r</i> = 0.226 to 0.344; <i>p</i> < 0.05). Conclusion: Older adults who perceived their health and functional status more negatively reported lower self-efficacy for hearing aid use and poorer CRQoL. Enhancing positive self-perception and self-efficacy may promote successful hearing aid use and improve overall communication outcomes. These findings underscore the need for biopsychosocial and family-centered approaches in aural rehabilitation programs for older adults with hearing loss.

This scoping review examined studies on auditory training in noise for children with auditory processing disorder (APD). The aim was to analyze the characteristics of training interventions, task types, outcome measures, and reported effects, while identifying methodological trends and limitations in the literature. A systematic search was conducted to identify studies involving speechin- noise training in children diagnosed with APD and 10 studies met the inclusion criteria. Data were extracted on participant characteristics, training methods, task types, training intensity and duration, outcome measures, effects, and reported limitations. Most studies used computer-based auditory training, while one employed traditional face-to-face intervention. Training tasks mainly targeted selective attention to target speech and speech perception in noisy environments, often incorporating adaptive difficulty and audiovisual cues. Outcomes were primarily measured using behavioral speech-in-noise tests, with some studies also including electrophysiological measures and subjective reports from parents or teachers. Most studies reported statistically significant improvements in speech-in-noise perception after training. However, the magnitude, consistency, and persistence of these effects varied. Only three studies examined retention effects and long-term maintenance was limited in some areas. Common limitations included small sample sizes, heterogeneity in diagnostic criteria and training protocols, and insufficient long-term follow-up. Overall, auditory training in noise appears to have positive effects on speech perception in children with APD. However, methodological variability across studies warrants cautious interpretation. Future research should focus on standardized diagnostic frameworks, systematic training protocols, and long-term follow-up to support evidence-based clinical guidelines.

Purpose: Word retrieval deficits are among the earliest language impairments in mild neurocognitive disorder (Mild NCD), a transitional stage between healthy aging and dementia. This study aimed to examine group-based differences in confrontation naming performance between cognitively healthy older adults and individuals with Mild NCD. Methods: Sixty Tamil-speaking participants aged 60 and above were recruited and grouped into cognitively healthy controls (n = 30) and Mild NCD (n = 30), based on montreal cognitive assessment-Tamil, cognitive linguistic assessment protocol in Tamil and fifth edition of diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders criteria. Naming accuracy and latency were measured using, test of naming in Tamil, an E-naming tool developed in Tamil. Mann- Whitney U-tests were used to compare group performances. Results: Significant differences were observed between the groups. Healthy controls showed near-ceiling naming accuracy (97.99 ± 2.85%) and shorter latency (3,369.15 ± 1,096.39 ms), whereas individuals with Mild NCD had reduced accuracy (79.72 ± 9.49%) and prolonged latency (9,989.81 ± 2,887.82 ms), with <i>p</i> < 0.001 for both measures. Conclusion: Visual confrontation naming tasks, particularly when measuring both accuracy and latency, are sensitive to early lexical retrieval deficits in Mild NCD. These findings support their utility in culturally appropriate, early screening of cognitive-linguistic changes among aging Tamilspeaking populations.

Purpose: Auditory-cognitive declines, particularly in working memory, significantly impact communication in noisy environments for older adults beyond peripheral hearing loss. This study aimed to develop Korean sentence lists for the Korean Repeat and Recall Test (K-RRT) and evaluate their feasibility and functional homogeneity in normal-hearing older adults. Method: Sentence materials were developed following the conceptual framework of the original repeat and recall test, incorporating Korean linguistic and cultural characteristics. High-context (HC) and semantically anomalous low-context (LC) sentences were created across everyday themes. Thirty normal-hearing adults (aged 50~70s) performed sentence recognition tasks under six conditions (-5 to 15 dB signalto-noise ratio [SNR], Quiet) and recall tasks in Quiet and 15 dB SNR. Functional homogeneity was defined as the absence of significant performance differences among lists, focusing on clinical feasibility. Results: No significant performance differences were observed among lists across conditions, supporting functional homogeneity. While HC sentences exhibited ceiling effects at higher SNRs, LC sentences demonstrated greater differentiation. Notably, significant age-related performance deficits emerged only in the most cognitively demanding condition (LC at -5 dB SNR). Recall accuracy remained stable without list effects. Conclusion: These findings provide preliminary feasibility evidence for the K-RRT sentence lists and demonstrate their sensitivity to contextual and noise-related cognitive load in normal-hearing older adults. Further studies with larger samples and hearing-impaired populations are required to establish the psychometric properties and clinical utility of the K-RRT.

Purpose: This study aims to analyze the error rates and types of Korean monosyllabic word perception according to hearing level, providing detailed insight into phoneme-specific error patterns among elderly individuals with varying degrees of hearing loss. Methods: Seventy-two elderly participants were assigned to four hearing groups: normal hearing, mild, moderate, and severe hearing loss. Each completed a monosyllabic word discrimination task using 726 Korean monosyllabic stimuli, presented at their most comfortable listening level. Error rates were calculated for onset consonant, vowel, and coda positions, and errors were classified by segmental pattern (substitution, addition, omission, compound). Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and post-hoc tests for group differences. Results: Total error rates increased according to hearing loss severity, from 18.3% in normal listeners to 80.4% in severe loss. Initial consonant errors were notably high, with severe-impaired participants showing over 80% errors in high-frequency onset consonants. Substitution errors predominated in all groups but decreased as hearing loss worsened; omission and compound errors correspondingly increased, especially in severe cases. Compound segmental errors became more common as hearing deteriorated, signifying much global breakdowns in word perception. Conclusion: Age-related hearing loss leads to a marked shift from single-segment errors toward frequent multisegment and compound errors in monosyllabic word perception. These findings highlight the need for detailed error analysis in clinical speech tests and endorse individualized rehabilitation approaches tailored for older adults’ auditory-perceptual profiles.

Purpose: This study aimed to analyze perceptual error patterns and mapping in Korean monosyllabic word recognition across different hearing levels, using confusion matrix analysis to quantify phoneme similarity and perceptual distance. By examining detailed phoneme-level confusions, the research sought to clarify how hearing loss alters recognition and discrimination. Methods: Seventytwo participants were divided into four hearing groups: normal hearing, mild, moderate, and severe hearing loss. Each participant listened to 726 Korean monosyllabic words spoken in a controlled acoustic environment and provided identifications for each. Recognition errors were systematically classified according to onset, nucleus, and coda positions. Confusion matrices were generated for each group and a six-level error bracket classification applied. Perceptual similarity and distance among phoneme pairs were assessed using Shepard’s Law and perceptual mapping was visualized for each hearing group. Results: Phoneme recognition accuracy declined with increasing hearing loss, most notably for onset and nucleus positions. Moderate and severe hearing loss groups exhibited significantly higher error rates and larger perceptual distances than normal hearing and mild loss groups. The total similarity counts for onset, vowel, and coda all increased as hearing impairment worsened. Severe hearing loss participants showed peak perceptual distances for critical phoneme pairs, indicating diminished discrimination ability. Group-wise perceptual maps clearly differentiated error patterns by hearing condition. Conclusion: Hearing loss substantially compromises Korean monosyllabic word recognition, leading to elevated error rates and increased perceptual distances among phonemes. These findings underscore the necessity for hearing-level-specific aural rehabilitation strategies and provide foundational auditory mapping data for hearing-impaired populations.

This study aimed to compare the changes in language function and activated brain in normal aging and cognitive decline groups using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). PubMed was searched through October 2025 using keywords related to fNIRS, aging, cognitive decline, and language function/task. A total of 52 studies were selected based on exclusion criteria. 1) Most studies conducted comparisons between young adult and normal elderly groups, between the normal cognitive group and cognitive decline group. 2) The verbal fluency task was the predominant expressive task; lower cognitive status was generally associated with reduced language performance and cortical activation. In comprehension tasks, young adults showed equal or better performance than normal aging adults, but the latter group showed greater neural activation. And 3) the most frequent activation and inter-group differentiation were observed in the frontal lobe, particularly within the inferior frontal cortex (included Broca’s area), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and the frontopolar cortex. fNIRS-based analysis of language-related hemodynamic responses in normal aging and cognitive impairment suggests a correlation between language function and brain activation, offering a scientific basis for future assessment and intervention.