Oral Naming Research Articles

Longitudinal Study on the Development of Literacy Skills During Literacy

There are many studies carried out in recent years on the process of learning to read. But there are very few works centered on the writing system and on the elements that favor this learning. The objectives of this study were to know the skills that facilitate access to learning the written code. A longitudinal quasi-experimental design was used, which showed the progress of 426 students from 5 to 7 years in the learning of writing. The results indicate that oral language, phonological awareness and naming speed are elements that favor this learning and reduce the risk of learning difficulties in the writing system.

Estudio longitudinal sobre el fomento de las habilidades de escritura en el periodo de alfabetización inicial

There are many studies carried out in recent years on the process of learning to read. But there are very few works centered on the writing system and on the elements that favor this learning. The objectives of this study were to know the skills that facilitate access to learning the written code. A longitudinal quasi-experimental design was used, which showed the progress of 426 students from 5 to 7 years in the learning of writing. The results indicate that oral language, phonological awareness and naming speed are elements that favor this learning and reduce the risk of learning difficulties in the writing system.

Semantic Memory in the Clinical Progression of Alzheimer Disease.

Semantic memory measures may be useful in tracking and predicting progression of Alzheimer disease. We investigated relationships among semantic memory tasks and their 1-year predictive value in women with Alzheimer disease. We conducted secondary analyses of a randomized clinical trial of raloxifene in 42 women with late-onset mild-to-moderate Alzheimer disease. We assessed semantic memory with tests of oral confrontation naming, category fluency, semantic recognition and semantic naming, and semantic density in written narrative discourse. We measured global cognition (Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale, cognitive subscale), dementia severity (Clinical Dementia Rating sum of boxes), and daily function (Activities of Daily Living Inventory) at baseline and 1 year. At baseline and 1 year, most semantic memory scores correlated highly or moderately with each other and with global cognition, dementia severity, and daily function. Semantic memory task performance at 1 year had worsened one-third to one-half standard deviation. Factor analysis of baseline test scores distinguished processes in semantic and lexical retrieval (semantic recognition, semantic naming, confrontation naming) from processes in lexical search (semantic density, category fluency). The semantic-lexical retrieval factor predicted global cognition at 1 year. Considered separately, baseline confrontation naming and category fluency predicted dementia severity, while semantic recognition and a composite of semantic recognition and semantic naming predicted global cognition. No individual semantic memory test predicted daily function. Semantic-lexical retrieval and lexical search may represent distinct aspects of semantic memory. Semantic memory processes are sensitive to cognitive decline and dementia severity in Alzheimer disease.

Inter-study and inter-Individual Consistency and Variability of EEG/ERP Microstate Sequences in Referential Word Production.

Periods of stable global electric field at scalp unfolding during a cognitive task can be linked to brain processes and are therefore well suited to investigate simultaneously qualitative and quantitative differences across conditions or populations of interest. The electrophysiological event-related (ERP) spatio-temporal dynamic has been repetitively investigated in referential word production, but the different designs, settings and analyses do not allow to conclude on the reliability of the microstate sequences across studies and individuals. Here the inter-studies and inter-individual consistency of sequences of scalp topographies were analysed in the ERP data of 118 individuals from five different oral picture naming studies. Averaging the individual ERP data across studies or across random groups yielded the same sequences of microstates, except in two periods of low topographic consistency (in the first 75ms following picture presentation-C1 VEP component-and in the N170 time-window). In the other time-periods highly consistent patterns of 5 distinct microstates appeared up to 100ms before the vocal response across studies and individuals. This same sequence of dominant scalp maps also explained a similar proportion of variance in a new dataset of 19 individual ERPs. The observed consistency of microstate sequences across picture naming studies constitutes the premise for the interpretation of the periods of quasi-stable global scalp potentials in terms of mental processes in referential word production but also for the study of deviant neurophysiological patterns in language impaired populations.

Investigating the Effectiveness of a Training Program based on Discrete Trials on Children with Autism in United Arab Emirates

This study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of a training program based on discrete trials on children with autism. The sample of this study consisted of eight children with autism. To achieve the purpose of this study, researchers implemented the Language Behavioral Evaluation Scale prior to and after the training program in order to assess participants’ improvement. Following hypotheses testing and data analyses using Wilcoxon test and Z score, the study revealed that there were significant differences in averages of ranks in chronological gaps with children prior to and after the implementation of the training program. These differences were found in areas of movement modeling, matching and receptive naming. However; there were no significant differences in areas of oral imitating and expressive naming.

Investigating the Effectiveness of a Training Program based on Discrete Trials on Children with Autism in United Arab Emirates

This study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of a training program based on discrete trials on children with autism. The sample of this study consisted of eight children with autism. To achieve the purpose of this study, researchers implemented the Language Behavioral Evaluation Scale prior to and after the training program in order to assess participants’ improvement. Following hypotheses testing and data analyses using Wilcoxon test and Z score, the study revealed that there were significant differences in averages of ranks in chronological gaps with children prior to and after the implementation of the training program. These differences were found in areas of movement modeling, matching and receptive naming. However; there were no significant differences in areas of oral imitating and expressive naming.

Validity, reliability and sensitivity of the NORLA-6: Naming and oral reading for language in aphasia 6-point scale

Purpose: Evaluation of the Naming and Oral Reading for Language in Aphasia 6-point scale (NORLA-6), a scoring system of oral reading and naming performance in aphasia.Method: Data were drawn from 91 participants with non-fluent aphasia secondary to left-hemisphere stroke across four treatment studies. To assess validity, Spearman’s correlations were calculated between the NORLA-6 and the Gray Oral Reading Test-Fourth Edition (GORT-4) Accuracy score, GORT-4 Rate score and the Boston Naming Test (BNT). Inter-rater and test–retest reliability were evaluated using correlations. Sensitivity to change following oral reading intervention was analysed using Wilcoxon Signed Rank tests between pre- and post-treatment NORLA-6 scores.Result: NORLA-6 performance was significantly correlated (p < 0.001) with all reference tests (GORT-4 Accuracy, rs=0.84; GORT-4 Rate, rs= 0.61; and BNT, rs= 0.92). Inter-rater (ICC ≥0.90) and test–retest (r > 0.92) reliability were both excellent. Sensitivity following oral reading intervention was demonstrated in both oral reading accuracy and rate (p < 0.004).Conclusion: The NORLA-6 is a valid and reliable measure of oral reading and naming performance. It also demonstrates sensitivity to change in treatment-targeted behaviours. Therefore, the NORLA-6 scale may enhance outcome measurement in both clinical practice and aphasia research.

Application of Learning Theory to Aphasia Intervention

Event Abstract Back to Event Application of Learning Theory to Aphasia Intervention Erica L. Middleton1* 1 Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute, United States Whereas a vast literature indicates interventions for aphasia can bring about positive clinical outcomes, research is limited on how to prioritize, schedule, and combine different kinds of treatment experiences for maximal benefit. By elaborating fundamental principles that govern change in the intact and damaged language system, learning theory can play a research-directing role towards explication of how and why language interventions work, how to alter the interventions to increase their efficiency and potency, and to provide prescriptions for use with specific populations. The symposium includes five speakers whose work collectively spans the translational pipeline, from recent developments in the science of learning and language use, to the application of learning theory in different domains of aphasia treatment. 1. Implicit learning as a mechanism of change in language production Gary S. Dell, Nathaniel D. Anderson, & Amanda C. Kelley—University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign The presentation explores whether learning in various domains of language production is inherently associative or cognitive, the former characterized by automatic, gradual change with experience, the latter by fast change, suggestive of rule-governed behavior. The implications for the treatment of aphasia are discussed. 2. Principles of motor learning in treatment for apraxia of speech Edwin Maas--Temple University A large literature has explored the differential potency of certain practice conditions (e.g., random versus blocked practice) to inform general principles of motor learning. However, such studies have almost exclusively focused on nonspeech tasks. This presentation discusses recent evidence regarding the applicability of principles of motor learning to treatment for apraxia of speech. 3. Retrieval practice principles: A theory of learning for naming rehabilitation Erica L. Middleton—Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute The presentation reviews progress towards a theory of learning for oral naming rehabilitation in aphasia based on the principles that (1) practice retrieving names for pictures from long-term memory (i.e., retrieval practice) benefits future naming, particularly when effortful; (2) spacing repeated training trials for to-be-treated vocabulary over time confers superior learning compared to massing trials close in time. Individual differences in response to these principles is discussed. 4. Examining the relationship between language and learning: Insights from the serial reaction time task Sofia Vallila Rohter—MGH Institute of Health Professions Limitations in our understanding of how learning is affected in aphasia is a barrier to developing efficacious patient-centered treatments. This research examines learning ability in aphasia within frameworks of implicit and explicit learning to provide a foundation for understanding how to conform treatment in light of possible learning deficits. 5. Spacing and timing: Maximizing learning and retention in aphasia treatment Brenda Rapp & Robert Wiley—Johns Hopkins University While research has shown that the spacing and timing of training trials have important consequences for learning and retention, their role in aphasia treatment has received scant attention. This work examines the spacing and timing of training trials in individuals who underwent dysgraphia treatment, finding greater accuracy for distributed compared to clustered trial spacing, and that longer retention intervals require longer intervals between training trials. Future research directions will be discussed. Keywords: Language production, apraxia of speech, retrieval practice, implicit learning, Lexical impairment Conference: Academy of Aphasia 55th Annual Meeting , Baltimore, United States, 5 Nov - 7 Nov, 2017. Presentation Type: symposium Topic: Aphasia Citation: Middleton EL (2019). Application of Learning Theory to Aphasia Intervention. Conference Abstract: Academy of Aphasia 55th Annual Meeting . doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2017.223.00079 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 18 Apr 2017; Published Online: 25 Jan 2019. * Correspondence: PhD. Erica L Middleton, Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute, Elkins Park, United States, middleer@gmail.com Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Erica L Middleton Google Erica L Middleton Google Scholar Erica L Middleton PubMed Erica L Middleton Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. 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Viewing a phonological deficit within a multifactorial model of dyslexia

Participants were administered multiple measures of phonological awareness, oral language, and rapid automatized naming at the beginning of kindergarten and multiple measures of word reading at the end of second grade. A structural equation model was fit to the data and latent scores were used to identify children with a deficit in phonological awareness alone or in combination with other kindergarten deficits. Children with a deficit in phonological awareness in kindergarten were found to be five times more likely to have dyslexia in second grade than children without such a deficit. This risk ratio substantially increased with the addition of deficits in both oral language and rapid naming. Whereas children with one or more kindergarten deficits were at heighten risk for dyslexia, some of these children were found to be adequate or better readers. These results are discussed within a multifactorial model of dyslexia that includes both risk and protective factors.

ENSINO DE RELAÇÕES ENTRE FIGURAS E PALAVRAS IMPRESSAS COM EMPARELHAMENTO MULTIMODELO A CRIANÇAS COM AUTISMO

Este estudo avaliou a eficácia de um procedimento adaptado de emparelhamento com o modelo (MTS multimodelo, com modelos compostos e seleção dos estímulos de comparação correspondentes a cada elemento do modelo) no ensino de relações arbitrárias e na emergência de relações derivadas. Foram ensinadas relações entre palavras impressas e figuras e nomeação de figuras, e avaliadas as relações derivadas nomeação oral das palavras impressas, emparelhamento entre palavras ditadas-palavras impressas e palavras impressas-figuras. Três participantes com autismo aprenderam as relações arbitrárias, nomearam as palavras impressas e apresentaram as relações derivadas para parte dos estímulos. Os resultados estendem os achados sobre a eficácia do procedimento multimodelo adaptado, utilizado anteriormente em emparelhamento de identidade, à aprendizagem de relações arbitrárias e à emergência de habilidades rudimentares de leitura nessa população. Palavras-chave: aprendizagem relacional, emparelhamento com o modelo, modelos múltiplos, equivalência de estímulos, ensino de leitura, autismo

The Relationship between Frontotemporal Effective Connectivity during Picture Naming, Behavior, and Preserved Cortical Tissue in Chronic Aphasia.

While several studies of task-based effective connectivity of normal language processing exist, little is known about the functional reorganization of language networks in patients with stroke-induced chronic aphasia. During oral picture naming, activation in neurologically intact individuals is found in “classic” language regions involved with retrieval of lexical concepts [e.g., left middle temporal gyrus (LMTG)], word form encoding [e.g., left posterior superior temporal gyrus, (LpSTG)], and controlled retrieval of semantic and phonological information [e.g., left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG)] as well as domain-general regions within the multiple demands network [e.g., left middle frontal gyrus (LMFG)]. After stroke, lesions to specific parts of the left hemisphere language network force reorganization of this system. While individuals with aphasia have been found to recruit similar regions for language tasks as healthy controls, the relationship between the dynamic functioning of the language network and individual differences in underlying neural structure and behavioral performance is still unknown. Therefore, in the present study, we used dynamic causal modeling (DCM) to investigate differences between individuals with aphasia and healthy controls in terms of task-induced regional interactions between three regions (i.e., LIFG, LMFG, and LMTG) vital for picture naming. The DCM model space was organized according to exogenous input to these regions and partitioned into separate families. At the model level, random effects family wise Bayesian Model Selection revealed that models with driving input to LIFG best fit the control data whereas models with driving input to LMFG best fit the patient data. At the parameter level, a significant between-group difference in the connection strength from LMTG to LIFG was seen. Within the patient group, several significant relationships between network connectivity parameters, spared cortical tissue, and behavior were observed. Overall, this study provides some preliminary findings regarding how neural networks for language reorganize for individuals with aphasia and how brain connectivity relates to underlying structural integrity and task performance.

Prophylaxis and remediation of anomia in the semantic and logopenic variants of primary progressive aphasia

ABSTRACTThis study evaluated the efficacy of phonological and orthographic treatments for anomia in the semantic and logopenic variants of primary progressive aphasia (svPPA and lvPPA, respectively). Both treatments were administered for 6 months. The treatment stimuli consisted of nouns that were consistently named correctly at baseline (prophylaxis items) and/or nouns that were consistently named incorrectly at baseline (remediation items). Oral naming accuracy was measured for trained and untrained picture exemplars, as well as matched items from an untrained condition (UC). Written naming and scene description tasks were also conducted. For all tasks, the change in naming accuracy from baseline to 1 month post-treatment was compared between the UC and each treatment condition. These comparisons indicated that both treatments were effective in the remediation and prophylaxis of anomia in both variants. Furthermore, generalisation to untrained exemplars occurred in both subtypes, whereas item generalisation occurred in lvPPA, and task generalisation was present in svPPA.

Speech and language therapy for aphasia following subacute stroke.

The aim of this study was to investigate the time window, duration and intensity of optimal speech and language therapy applied to aphasic patients with subacute stroke in our hospital. The study consisted of 33 patients being hospitalized for stroke rehabilitation in our hospital with first stroke but without previous history of speech and language therapy. Sixteen sessions of impairment-based speech and language therapy were applied to the patients, 30–60 minutes per day, 2 days a week, for 8 successive weeks. Aphasia assessment in stroke patients was performed with Gülhane Aphasia Test-2 before and after treatment. Compared with before treatment, fluency of speech, listening comprehension, reading comprehension, oral motor evaluation, automatic speech, repetition and naming were improved after treatment. This suggests that 16 seesions of speech and language therapy, 30–60 minutes per day, 2 days a week, for 8 successive weeks, are effective in the treatment of aphasic patients with subacute stroke.

Maintenance of Anomia Treatment Effects in Primary Progressive Aphasia

Maintenance of Anomia Treatment Effects in Primary Progressive Aphasia

Diagnosis of crossed aphasia, a case report

The purpose was to back up on all the arguments [1] , for to diagnose crossed aphasia (CA) our patient and improve rehabilitation. A man of 45 years, right-handed, presented a dysarthria accompanied by a loss of verbal fluency, lack of word and paraphasias, after a parietal-temporal hematoma in right hemisphere. The interrogatory did not find a familial history on a left handedness. Brain imaging confirmed the integrity of the left hemisphere in the initial MRI and CT scan. The speech therapist assessment showed the oral picture naming test alack of the word (61/80, decreased lexical background, non-response, breaks) and semantic paraphasias. The questionnaire of the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination of the repetition of sentences showed an effect of length and omissions of words. Reading words and sentences aloud contained substitutions, additions and paralexies. Listening was average (11/15: order execution, 6/12: understanding sentences and texts). Reading comprehension was average, 6/10. The writing contained many errors (perseveration, paragraphies literal and neologisms). The copy was altered. Automatic series were not preserved (Transcript of the alphabet). Brain lateralization test found an ocular dominance right and right lower limb (20/20). Neuropsychological assessment found disorders of attention (Stroop and Trail Making Test [TMT] with 4.12 standard deviation [sd] and the corrected T score 1.9 and 2.4 sd) and mental flexibility (TMT: 3.41 sd). An impaired working memory (WAIS: span = 7 and to place = 3) and logical reasoning (WAIS-III: 5). A deficit in verbal episodic memory (learning the verbal list of BEM 144: 1.31 sd) affect the encoding and retrieval processes. We have thus confirmed the diagnosis of crossed aphasia by eliminating a left handedness and a lesion in the left hemisphere. The speech therapist and neuropsychological allowed to assert the diagnosis of aphasia associated with cognitive disorders [2] . Therefore we associated the language rehabilitation in a targeted program on cognitive function and gained better results.

Double-letter processing in surface dyslexia and dysgraphia following a left temporal lesion: A multimodal neuroimaging study

Neuropsychological data about acquired impairments in reading and writing provide a strong basis for the theoretical framework of the dual-route models. The present study explored the functional neuroanatomy of the reading and spelling processing system. We describe the reading and writing performance of patient CF, an Italian native speaker who developed an extremely selective reading and spelling deficit (his spontaneous speech, oral comprehension, repetition and oral picture naming were almost unimpaired) in processing double letters associated with surface dyslexia and dysgraphia, following a tumor in the left temporal lobe. In particular, the majority of CF's errors in spelling were phonologically plausible substitutions, errors concerning letter numerosity of consonants, and syllabic phoneme-to-grapheme conversion (PGC) errors. A similar pattern of impairment also emerged in his reading behavior, with a majority of lexical stress errors (the only possible type of surface reading errors in the Italian language, due the extreme regularity of print-to-sound correspondence).CF's neuropsychological profile was combined with structural neuroimaging data, fiber tracking, and functional maps and compared to that of healthy control participants. We related CF's deficit to a dissociation between impaired ventral/lexical route (as evidenced by a fractional anisotropy – FA decrease along the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus – IFOF) and relatively preserved dorsal/phonological route (as evidenced by a rather full integrity of the superior longitudinal fasciculus – SLF). In terms of functional processing, the lexical-semantic ventral route network was more activated in controls than in CF, while the network supporting the dorsal route was shared by CF and the control participants. Our results are discussed within the theoretical framework of dual-route models of reading and spelling, emphasize the importance of the IFOF both in lexical reading and spelling, and offer a better comprehension of the neurological and functional substrates involved in written language and, in particular, in surface dyslexia and dysgraphia and in doubling/de-doubling consonant sounds and letters.

Prophylactic treatments for anomia in the logopenic variant of primary progressive aphasia: cross-language transfer

Background: Treatment studies for anomia in primary progressive aphasia (PPA) have rarely compared multiple treatments in the same individual, and few anomia treatment studies have included participants with the logopenic variant of PPA (lvPPA).Aims: The goals of this study were to evaluate two types of treatment for anomia in a bilingual participant (ND) with lvPPA, and to examine possible cross-language transfer of treatment effects.Methods & Procedures: ND is a Norwegian-English bilingual woman with lvPPA who began this study at the age of 69. In the phonological treatment, ND listened to a word while viewing a corresponding picture, and she repeated the word. In the orthographic treatment, ND read a word out loud while viewing the corresponding picture, and she then copied the word. Both treatments were conducted in English, and accuracy for three tasks (oral naming, written naming, and naming to definition) was assessed in English and Norwegian. The treatment occurred over a one-year period, with eight sessions at the laboratory during the first month, followed by monthly laboratory sessions and thrice-weekly home practice sessions during the subsequent 11 months. Post-treatment assessments were conducted at 1 week, 8 months, 1 year, 20 months, and 3 years.Outcomes & Results: Compared to untrained items, the orthographic treatment resulted in greater English written naming accuracy. This treatment also resulted in cross-language transfer: greater Norwegian oral naming and naming to definition accuracy. The phonological treatment resulted in marginally greater English oral naming accuracy, but it did not have a significant effect on naming accuracy in Norwegian.Conclusions: These findings suggest that the orthographic treatment was effective in strengthening the orthographic representations of the treated items, which facilitated ND’s written naming performance. The pattern of cross-language transfer suggests that the orthographic treatment also strengthened the language-independent semantic representations of the treated items, thereby facilitating access to their Norwegian phonological representations.

Lexico-semantic deficits in people with right hemisphere damage: Evidence from convergent naming tasks

Abstract The right hemisphere (RH) continues to attract considerable scientific attention on its word processing skills. Despite extensive research in this direction, consensus on this issue is lacking. In this context, the present study explored the influence of right hemisphere damage (RHD) on word retrieval (i.e., oral naming) tasks. We administered a battery of 10 convergent naming tasks on a group of 22 right-handed persons with RHD as well as on an equal number of neurotypical age-, gender-, handedness-, and literacy-matched (i.e., control) participants. The comparison of accuracy scores and errors obtained from the two groups revealed significantly poorer performance in the RHD group except on one task (i.e., definition-naming). Additionally, analysis of errors revealed a preponderance of semantic errors. These findings support the role of the right hemisphere in word processing.

White matter pathway supporting phonological encoding in speech production: a multi-modal imaging study of brain damage patients.

In speech production, an important step before motor programming is the retrieval and encoding of the phonological elements of target words. It has been proposed that phonological encoding is supported by multiple regions in the left frontal, temporal and parietal regions and their underlying white matter, especially the left arcuate fasciculus (AF) or superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF). It is unclear, however, whether the effects of AF/SLF are indeed related to phonological encoding for output and whether there are other white matter tracts that also contribute to this process. We comprehensively investigated the anatomical connectivity supporting phonological encoding in production by studying the relationship between the integrity of all major white matter tracts across the entire brain and phonological encoding deficits in a group of 69 patients with brain damage. The integrity of each white matter tract was measured both by the percentage of damaged voxels (structural imaging) and the mean fractional anisotropy value (diffusion tensor imaging). The phonological encoding deficits were assessed by various measures in two oral production tasks that involve phonological encoding: the percentage of nonword (phonological) errors in oral picture naming and the accuracy of word reading aloud with word comprehension ability regressed out. We found that the integrity of the left SLF in both the structural and diffusion tensor imaging measures consistently predicted the severity of phonological encoding impairment in the two phonological production tasks. Such effects of the left SLF on phonological production remained significant when a range of potential confounding factors were considered through partial correlation, including total lesion volume, demographic factors, lesions on phonological-relevant grey matter regions, or effects originating from the phonological perception or semantic processes. Our results therefore conclusively demonstrate the central role of the left SLF in phonological encoding in speech production.

Regional brain glucose metabolism and neurocognitive function in adult survivors of childhood cancer treated with cranial radiation.

The objective of this study was to examine associations between regional brain metabolism, as measured by (18)F-FDG PET, and neurocognitive outcomes in adult survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) treated with cranial radiation. Thirty-eight adult survivors of ALL were randomly selected from a large cohort treated with cranial radiation therapy (19 with 18 Gy and 19 with 24 Gy of exposure). At a mean age of 26.4 (range, 22.3-37.4) years, and 23.5 (range, 20.4-32.8) years since diagnosis, patients underwent comprehensive neurocognitive evaluations and brain (18)F-FDG PET imaging during a resting condition. (18)F-FDG PET images were analyzed stereotactically, and pixel values were normalized to global activity. Predefined region-of-interest and voxel-based correlation analyses were performed. Compared with national norms, survivors demonstrated lower vocabulary (P < 0.001), reading (P < 0.001), mathematics (P < 0.001), working memory (P < 0.001), oral naming speed (P < 0.001), and cognitive flexibility (P < 0.001). Metabolic activity was higher in basal gangliar structures for those treated with 24 Gy of cranial radiation therapy (P = 0.04). Metabolic activity was positively correlated with oral naming speed in both lateral frontal lobes (ρ = 0.48 and 0.47 for right and left frontal regions, respectively, P < 0.01) and negatively correlated with cognitive flexibility in the sections of the basal ganglia (P < 0.01 for both caudate and putamen). Neurocognitive impairment in long-term survivors of ALL treated with cranial radiation appears to be associated with increased metabolic activity in frontal cerebral cortical and subcortical regions in the basal ganglia, suggesting decreased efficiency of the frontostriatal brain circuit.