Neurogenic Communication Research Articles

The effects of demographic and clinical factors on the severity of poststroke aphasia

<p>Poststroke aphasia severity is related to several demographic, lesion-specific, and clinical factors. However, results about the importance of these factors are controversial. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of demographic and clinical factors on aphasia severity as well as on expressive and receptive language skills in a sample of Hungarian-speaking people with aphasia.&nbsp;</p>. <p>Ninety-four people with aphasia with mainly unilateral left-hemisphere stroke (87.88%) participated. We used multiple stepwise linear regression to investigate the relationships between potential predictors &ndash; i.e., sex, education, time postonset, etiology, lesion localisation, pathological changes in the brain caused by small vessel disease, and other neurogenic communication disorders/swallowing disorders &ndash; and language outcome. As outcome variables, we used the total score, the receptive score, and the expressive score of the Hungarian Aphasia Screening Test.</p>. <p>Less years of education, pathological changes in the brain (white matter hypodensities/hyperintensities and subcortical lacunar lesions) and apraxia of speech were associated with more severe aphasia. Pathological changes and apraxia of speech were also associated with lower expressive language skills in aphasia. Finally, education, pathological changes, and sex predicted receptive language skills in poststroke aphasia (p &lt; 0.05 in all three models). &nbsp;</p>. <p>Pathological changes, apraxia of speech, education, and sex may affect language outcome in poststroke aphasia. We discuss our findings in light of the results of previous studies.&nbsp;</p>.

Echolalia or functional repetition in conversation – a case study of an individual with Huntington's disease

Purpose. In this case study, we investigated the use of repetition in an individual with a neurogenic communication disorder.Method. We present an analysis of interaction in natural conversations between a woman with advanced Huntington's disease (HD), whose speech had been described as sometimes characterised by echolalia, and her personal assistant. The conversational interaction is analysed on a sequential level, and recurrent patterns are explored.Results. Although the ability of the person with HD to interact is affected by chorea, word retrieval problems and reduced comprehension, she takes an active part in conversation. The conversational partner's contributions are often adapted to her communicative ability as they are formulated as questions or suggestions that can be elaborated on or responded to with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’. The person with HD often repeats the words of her conversational partner in a way that extends her contributions and shows listenership, and this use of repetition is also frequent in ordinary conversations between non-brain-damaged individuals.Conclusions. The results show that the conversation partners in this case cooperate in making the conversation proceed and evolve, and that verbal repetition is used in a way that works as a strategy for compensating for the impairment.

Living with cognitive-communicative difficulties following traumatic brain injury: Using a model of interpersonal communication to characterize the subjective experience

This study was undertaken to better understand the subjective experience of long-term cognitive-communicative impairments following severe cerebral insult. An additional aim was to explore the utility of a model of interpersonal communication in elucidating how such difficulties affect communicative interactions. Participants in the study were five dyads in which one member had sustained a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Data collection and analysis utilized both qualitative and quantitative methodology. It was found that individuals with long-term TBI continue to experience significant communication difficulties, which in combination with problems of memory, fatigue and irritability commonly generate unsatisfactory interpersonal communication experiences. The model of interpersonal communication provided a useful framework for considering why these interactions are ineffective or unsatisfactory. It is felt that the methodology outlined in this paper may offer a useful means of investigating the relationship between neurogenic communication impairments/disabilities and interpersonal communication difficulties experienced by individuals from a variety of clinical populations.