Word Retrieval Research Articles

Semantic Bimodal Presentation Differentially Slows Working Memory Retrieval.

Although evidence has shown that working memory (WM) can be differentially affected by the multisensory congruency of different visual and auditory stimuli, it remains unclear whether different multisensory congruency about concrete and abstract words could impact further WM retrieval. By manipulating the attention focus toward different matching conditions of visual and auditory word characteristics in a 2-back paradigm, the present study revealed that for the characteristically incongruent condition under the auditory retrieval condition, the response to abstract words was faster than that to concrete words, indicating that auditory abstract words are not affected by visual representation, while auditory concrete words are. Alternatively, for concrete words under the visual retrieval condition, WM retrieval was faster in the characteristically incongruent condition than in the characteristically congruent condition, indicating that visual representation formed by auditory concrete words may interfere with WM retrieval of visual concrete words. The present findings demonstrated that concrete words in multisensory conditions may be too aggressively encoded with other visual representations, which would inadvertently slow WM retrieval. However, abstract words seem to suppress interference better, showing better WM performance than concrete words in the multisensory condition.

The Role of Representational Gestures and Speech Synchronicity in Auditory Input by L2 and L1 Speakers.

Speech and gesture are two integrated and temporally coordinated systems. Manual gestures can help second language (L2) speakers with vocabulary learning and word retrieval. However, it is still under-investigated whether the synchronisation of speech and gesture has a role in helping listeners compensate for the difficulties in processing L2 aural information. In this paper, we tested, in two behavioural experiments, how L2 speakers process speech and gesture asynchronies in comparison to native speakers (L1). L2 speakers responded significantly faster when gestures and the semantic relevant speech were synchronous than asynchronous. They responded significantly slower than L1 speakers regardless of speech/gesture synchronisation. On the other hand, L1 speakers did not show a significant difference between asynchronous and synchronous integration of gestures and speech. We conclude that gesture-speech asynchrony affects L2 speakers more than L1 speakers.

The Feasibility and Benefits of a Virtual Yoga Practice for Stroke Survivors With Aphasia.

The purpose of this study was to (a) examine the feasibility of a virtual, adapted, aphasia-friendly yoga program for people with aphasia; (b) evaluate evidence of improvement in patient-reported outcomes and word retrieval; (c) explore the immediate impact of a yoga session on participant subjective emotional state; and (d) assess participant motivation and perceived benefits of participating in a yoga program. This feasibility study employed a mixed-method design to document the feasibility of a virtual, 8-week adapted yoga program. A pre-/posttreatment design was used to assess patient-reported outcome measures for resilience, stress, sleep, and pain, as well as word-finding abilities. Semistructured interviews with participants were thematically analyzed to provide insight into participants' motivation and perceptions regarding their experience. Comparisons of pre- and postprogram group means suggest that participation in an 8-week adapted yoga program may positively impact perceptions of resilience (large effect), stress (medium effect), sleep disturbance (medium effect), and pain (small effect) for people with aphasia. Findings from within-session reports and brief, semistructured interviews with participants indicated positive outcomes and subjective experiences and suggest that people with aphasia are motivated to participate in yoga for a variety of reasons. This study is an important first step in confirming the feasibility of an adapted, aphasia-friendly yoga program offered via a remote platform for people with aphasia. The findings support recent work suggesting that yoga may be a potent adjunct to traditional rehabilitation efforts to improve resilience and psychosocial aspects in persons with aphasia. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.22688125.

Role of cognitive control in resolving two types of conflict during spoken word production

ABSTRACT A theoretically- and clinically-important issue for understanding word retrieval is how speakers resolve conflict during linguistic tasks. This study investigated two types of conflict resolution: prepotent conflict, when one dominant incorrect response must be suppressed; and underdetermined conflict, when multiple reasonable responses compete. The congruency sequence effect paradigm was used to assess trial-to-trial changes in reaction time and accuracy during word production tasks with either prepotent or underdetermined conflict. Pictures were named faster on trials with low-conflict as compared to high-conflict regardless of conflict type. This effect was modulated by the amount of conflict experienced on the previous trial for both tasks. These results suggest that resolution of underdetermined and prepotent conflict may engage the same general cognitive mechanism. This work expands our understanding of the relationship between cognitive control and word production and can inform clinical approaches for people with anomia.

Acceptability, feasibility and preliminary efficacy of low-moderate intensity Constraint Induced Aphasia Therapy and Multi-Modality Aphasia Therapy in chronic aphasia after stroke

ABSTRACT Background High-intensity Constraint-Induced Aphasia Therapy Plus (CIAT-Plus) and Multi-Modality Aphasia Therapy (M-MAT) are effective interventions for chronic post-stroke aphasia but challenging to provide in clinical practice. Providing these interventions may be more feasible at lower intensities, but comparative evidence is lacking. We therefore explored feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of the treatments at a lower intensity. Methods A multisite, single-blinded, randomized Phase II trial was conducted within the Phase III COMPARE trial. Groups of participants with chronic aphasia from the usual care arm of the COMPARE trial were randomized to M-MAT or CIAT-Plus, delivered at the same dose as the COMPARE trial but at lower intensity (6 hours/week × 5 weeks rather than 15 hours/week × 2 weeks). Blinded assessors measured aphasia severity (Western Aphasia Battery-Revised Aphasia Quotient), word retrieval, connected speech, multimodal communication, functional communication, and quality of life immediately post interventions and after 12 weeks. Feasibility and acceptability were explored. Results Of 70 eligible participants, 77% consented to the trial; 78% of randomized participants completed intervention and 98% of assessment visits were conducted. Fatigue and distress ratings were low with no related withdrawals. Adverse events related to the trial (n = 4) were mild in severity. Statistically significant treatment effects were demonstrated on word retrieval and functional communication and both interventions were equally effective. Conclusions Low–moderateintensity CIAT-Plus and M-MAT were feasible and acceptable. Both interventions show preliminary efficacy at a low–moderate intensity. These results support a powered trial investigating these interventions at a low–moderate intensity.

Word Retrieval After the 80s: Evidence From Specific and Multiple Words Naming Tasks

Older adults show a progressive cognitive decline, and although language processing appears to resist advancing age, studies in word retrieval report that elders show important difficulties. Previous research reports that such failures increase from age 70 years, which suggests that during the fourth age word retrieval would exhibit even stronger constraints. At the same time, extant evidence suggests that only retrieval of a specific word might decline in advanced aging, and not the recovery of multiple pieces associated with a given semantic category. However, those studies did not explicitly assess these phenomena in a group of older adults in their fourth age, and thus cannot be considered conclusive with regards to this particular group. In the present study, we examined word retrieval in three distinctive advanced age groups (60–69, 70–79, and 80+ years) in two production tasks: a picture naming task, and a lexical availability task. We compared the fourth-age group against the other two third-age group in their reaction time (RT) and accuracy as well as, on the lexical availability index (LAI) and total words retrieved in a lexical availability task. Fourth-age group exhibited longer RT in the picture naming task, yet a high level of accuracy. They also showed a reduced number of retrieved words, as well as, a reduced LAI, relative to the control groups. We discuss our results in the context of the decline of fluid intelligence, and the information transmission deficits hypothesis.

Word production and comprehension in frontotemporal degeneration: A neurocognitive computational Pickian account

Over a century ago, Arnold Pick reported deterioration of word production and comprehension in frontotemporal degeneration, now a common finding. Individuals with semantic dementia (SD) and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) present with word retrieval difficulty, while their comprehension is less affected. Computational models have illuminated naming and comprehension in poststroke and progressive aphasias, including SD, but there are no simulations for bvFTD. Here, the WEAVER++/ARC model, previously applied to poststroke and progressive aphasias, is extended to bvFTD. Simulations tested the hypothesis of a loss of activation capacity in semantic memory in SD and bvFTD, caused by network atrophy (Pick, 1908a). The outcomes revealed that capacity loss explains 97% of the variance in naming and comprehension of 100 individual patients. Moreover, capacity loss correlates with individual ratings of atrophy in the left anterior temporal lobe. These results support a unified account of word production and comprehension in SD and bvFTD.

Application of short video recommendation technology in classical music teaching

Abstract Throughout the evolution of the global teaching model, from the traditional face-to-face teaching to the later Web 2.0, the integration of Weibo, blogs, and other media enriched the teaching model. However, with the emergence of Web 3.0, the mobile Internet makes music teaching further upgraded and become more intelligent, personalized, and adaptive, which provides more powerful technical support for the majority of music educators in the actual teaching process. This paper discusses the application of short video recommendation technology in classical music teaching and establishes a personalized short video recommendation method, which can realize the personalized and targeted push of classical music. The results show that the recommendation technology established in this paper has better superiority than the traditional method. Combined with the short video recommendation technology established in this paper, the hot word retrieval, push platform, audience age, and education effect of short video recommendation technology are studied. The research results show that the short video recommendation technology established in this paper can analyze the hot word retrieval volume of each platform, the main push platform, and the age of the audience. Based on this, further analysis is carried out, and the educational effect of classical music combined with short video recommendation technology is obtained. The research results have promoted the way of classical music education.

Accounting for word production, comprehension, and repetition in semantic dementia, Alzheimer’s dementia, and mild cognitive impairment

It has been known since Pick (1892, 1904) that word retrieval is commonly impaired in left temporal lobe degeneration. Individuals with semantic dementia (SD), Alzheimer’s dementia (AD), and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) present with word retrieval difficulty, while comprehension is less affected and repetition is preserved. Whereas computational models have elucidated performance in poststroke and progressive aphasias, including SD, simulations are lacking for AD and MCI. Here, the WEAVER++/ARC model, which has provided neurocognitive computational accounts of poststroke and progressive aphasias, is extended to AD and MCI. Assuming a loss of activation capacity in semantic memory in SD, AD, and MCI, the simulations showed that severity variation accounts for 99% of the variance in naming, comprehension, and repetition at the group level and 95% at the individual patient level (N = 49). Other plausible assumptions do less well. This supports a unified account of performance in SD, AD, and MCI.

Verbal Fluency in Prelingually Deaf, Early Implanted Children and Adolescents With Cochlear Implants.

Verbal fluency tasks assess the ability to quickly and efficiently retrieve words from the mental lexicon by requiring subjects to rapidly generate words within a phonological or semantic category. This study investigated differences between cochlear implant users and normal-hearing peers in the clustering and time course of word retrieval during phonological and semantic verbal fluency tasks. Twenty-eight children and adolescents (aged 9-17 years) with cochlear implants and 33 normal-hearing peers completed measures of verbal fluency, nonverbal intelligence, speech perception, and verbal short-term/working memory. Phonological and semantic verbal fluency tests were scored for total words generated, words generated in each 10-s interval of the 1-min task, latency to first word generated, number of word clusters, average cluster size, and number of word/cluster switches. Children and adolescents with cochlear implants generated fewer words than normal-hearing peers throughout the entire 60-s time interval of the phonological and semantic fluency tasks. Cochlear implant users also had slower start latency times and produced fewer clusters and switches than normal-hearing peers during the phonological fluency task. Speech perception and verbal working memory scores were more strongly associated with verbal fluency scores in children and adolescents with cochlear implants than in normal-hearing peers. Cochlear implant users show poorer phonological and semantic verbal fluency than normal-hearing peers, and their verbal fluency is significantly associated with speech perception and verbal working memory. These findings suggest deficits in fluent retrieval of phonological and semantic information from long-term lexical memory in cochlear implant users.

Early within therapy naming probes as a clinically-feasible predictor of anomia treatment response

ABSTRACT This study investigated the relationship between early within-therapy probe naming performance and anomia therapy outcomes in individuals with aphasia. Thirty-four adults with chronic, post-stroke aphasia participated in the Aphasia Language Impairment and Functioning Therapy (Aphasia LIFT) programme, comprised of 48 h of comprehensive aphasia therapy. Sets of 30 treated and 30 untreated items identified at baseline were probed during impairment therapy which targeted word retrieval using a combined semantic feature analysis and phonological component analysis approach. Multiple regression models were computed to determine the relationship between baseline language and demographic variables, early within-therapy probe naming performance (measured after 3 h of impairment therapy) and anomia treatment outcomes. Early within-therapy probe naming performance emerged as the strongest predictor of anomia therapy gains at post-therapy and at 1-month follow-up. These findings have important clinical implications, as they suggest that an individual’s performance after a brief period of anomia therapy may predict response to intervention. As such, early within-therapy probe naming may provide a quick and accessible tool for clinicians to identify potential response to anomia treatment.

Presurgical Language Mapping: What Are We Testing?

Gliomas are brain tumors infiltrating healthy cortical and subcortical areas that may host cognitive functions, such as language. If these areas are damaged during surgery, the patient might develop word retrieval or articulation problems. For this reason, many glioma patients are operated on awake, while their language functions are tested. For this practice, quite simple tests are used, for example, picture naming. This paper describes the process and timeline of picture naming (noun retrieval) and shows the timeline and localization of the distinguished stages. This is relevant information for presurgical language testing with navigated Magnetic Stimulation (nTMS). This novel technique allows us to identify cortical involved in the language production process and, thus, guides the neurosurgeon in how to approach and remove the tumor. We argue that not only nouns, but also verbs should be tested, since sentences are built around verbs, and sentences are what we use in daily life. This approach's relevance is illustrated by two case studies of glioma patients.

Macrolinguistic function in temporal lobe epilepsy: a reinterpretation of circumstantiality

ABSTRACT Background While language is frequently explored in stroke and focal lesions, complex language disorders in paroxysmal conditions remain relatively underexplored. Individuals with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) often have an impairment of conversational language manifesting as verbosity and attributable to disruption of cognitive-linguistic networks. The micro- and macrolinguistic underpinnings of this disturbance, and the role of epilepsy and cognitive variables, are yet to be explored. Methods and Procedures We examined the elicited language output of 16 individuals with TLE and 14 healthy controls under separate monologic discourse tasks: a structured and constrained context, elicited by description of the ‘Cookie Theft’ picture, and an unstructured, unconstrained context, elicited by description of a ‘Typical Day’. We hypothesised that language output in the unstructured context would be characterised by verbosity to a greater extent than language elicited in a structured context. Outcomes and Results Following transcription and coding, detailed multi-level discourse analysis suggested that a constrained context gives rise to microlinguistic disturbances in individuals with TLE, reducing fluency, with more pauses and fillers. Under an unconstrained context, as anticipated, classical aspects of verbosity emerge in those with TLE, manifesting as longer speaking time, a longer duration of pauses, and a higher proportion of repetitive or redundant statements. Macrolinguistic elements such as coherence and informativeness are widely impacted, particularly disturbing language formulation. Correlations suggest that microlinguistic disturbances are closely linked with the immediate impact of seizures on cognitive-linguistic function, while macrolinguistic disturbances are more broadly impacted by disorder severity and word retrieval deficits. Conclusions These findings suggest that cognitive-linguistic disturbances in TLE produce vulnerability to different psycholinguistic impairments as a function of differing linguistic challenges imposed by constrained and unconstrained discourse contexts. Where constrained, output fluency is primarily affected, while in an unconstrained context disturbed discourse planning and organisation declares itself. We conclude that these patterns reflect a dynamic linguistic system taking shape under specific contextual conditions.

Precuneus stimulation alters abstract verbal memory encoding

The present study investigated the role of the precuneus in memory encoding of abstract and concrete words, with the combination of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and continuous Theta Burst Stimulation (cTBS) techniques. The memory encoding process was scanned in the fMRI to detect the regions of interest for the difference in memory formation of these two types of words. The real and sham cTBS stimulations were applied over the left precuneus. The fMRI results showed that the left precuneus was deactivated for the memory encoding of both types of words, with concrete words inducing significantly more deactivation. The cTBS stimulation over the left precuneus significantly reduced the reaction time of retrieval of abstract words but not concrete words. It is concluded that precuneus plays a role in modulating the abstract but not the concrete verbal memory encoding. • This study examines the role of precuneus in verbal episodic memory with combination of fMRI and cTBS. • The precuneus was deactivated for the episodic memory encoding of abstract and concrete words. • The precuneus was deactivated significantly less for the episodic encoding of abstract words than that of the concrete words. • The cTBS stimulation over precuneus significantly reduced the reaction time of retrieval of abstract words instead of concrete words.

The Resilience of the Phonological Network May Have Implications for Developmental and Acquired Disorders.

A central tenet of network science states that the structure of the network influences processing. In this study of a phonological network of English words we asked: how does damage alter the network structure (Study 1)? How does the damaged structure influence lexical processing (Study 2)? How does the structure of the intact network "protect" processing with a less efficient algorithm (Study 3)? In Study 1, connections in the network were randomly removed to increasingly damage the network. Various measures showed the network remained well-connected (i.e., it is resilient to damage) until ~90% of the connections were removed. In Study 2, computer simulations examined the retrieval of a set of words. The performance of the model was positively correlated with naming accuracy by people with aphasia (PWA) on the Philadelphia Naming Test (PNT) across four types of aphasia. In Study 3, we demonstrated another way to model developmental or acquired disorders by manipulating how efficiently activation spread through the network. We found that the structure of the network "protects" word retrieval despite decreases in processing efficiency; words that are relatively easy to retrieve with efficient transmission of priming remain relatively easy to retrieve with less efficient transmission of priming. Cognitive network science and computer simulations may provide insight to a wide range of speech, language, hearing, and cognitive disorders.

Rare forms of dementia-Atypical variants of Alzheimer's dementia

In Germany, around 1.8million people currently suffer from dementia and the numbers are increasing. The main cause of dementia is Alzheimer's disease. This is classically manifested in the form of an amnestic syndrome but also encompasses various atypical variants, especially in younger patients and in the clinical routine are not always easy to recognize. These are described in this narrative review with case studies. Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) presents with visual disorders, in the logopenic variants of primary progressive aphasia (lvPPA) impaired word retrieval is the main symptom, in the frontal variant of Alzheimer's disease behavioral disorders are prominent and in corticobasal syndrome (CBS) an akinetic rigid Parkinson's syndrome with alien limb phenomenon. As the clinical presentation of these atypical variants shows an overlap with other dementia disorders, the differential diagnosis is often challenging. In this context amyloid biomarkers can provide valuable services.

Differential effects of executive load on automatic versus controlled semantic memory retrieval.

Growing evidence indicates that a domain-general executive control supports semantic memory retrieval, yet the nature of this interaction remains elusive. To shed light on such control mechanisms, we conducted two dual-task experiments loading distinct executive capacities (working memory maintenance, monitoring, and switching), while participants carried out automatic (free-associative) and controlled (dissociative) word retrieval tasks. We found that these forms of executive load interfered with retrieval fluency in both tasks, but these negative effects were more pronounced for the dissociative performance. Together, these findings indicate that the domain-general executive control supports accessing contextually relevant knowledge as well as the inhibition of automatically activated but task-inappropriate retrieval candidates, putatively via an adaptive gating of semantic activation and interference control. Moreover, the processing costs related to retrieval inhibition and switching were negatively correlated, suggesting a trade-off between the ability to constrain semantic activation (i.e., inhibition) and the ability to initiate flexible transitions between semantic sets (i.e., switching), which may thus represent two complementary control functions governing semantic memory retrieval.

A comprehensive cognitive analysis of cervical dystonia: A single centre study

IntroductionCervical dystonia (CD) presents as a motor disorder but has a number of non-motor features. Studies have demonstrated diverse changes in cognition in patients with CD. The rarity of this disorder, phenotypic heterogeneity, and, in particular, a lack of consistency in cognitive testing measures limits clear definition of cognitive changes in this disorder. The relationship between cognition, motor symptoms and quality of life has not been well defined. We undertook a comprehensive analysis of cognition in CD. MethodsPatients with adult onset idiopathic isolated CD (AOICD) who had completed a battery of cognitive assessments- general intellectual functioning, verbal and visual memory, executive functions and social cognition measures, were included. Participants were assessed for mood symptoms, motor severity and quality of life. Results13 patients (8 women) with AOICD were included covering 40 cognitive subtests. Mean age was 59.9 years and mean TWSTRS-2 severity was 11. Mean estimated premorbid function was in the normal range. Overall performance on most measures were within normal limits. The lowest mean z-score was observed in Florida Affect Battery (social cognition) subtests, z = −1.75 and −0.81. and in verbal recall, z = −0.82. The majority of patients (75%) scored below population mean on spatial working memory and (62%) performed below population mean on word retrieval and working memory. ConclusionWe provide detailed cognitive results across a wide range of measures. Although patients tended towards average outcomes on the majority of tests, poorer performance than expected averages were noted in measures of social cognition, word retrieval, spatial working memory and, processing speed.

The Effects of Cueing in the Facilitation of Word Retrieval in Patients with Aphasia

The Effects of Cueing in the Facilitation of Word Retrieval in Patients with Aphasia

Combining offline and on-the-fly disambiguation to perform semantic-aware XML querying

Many efforts have been deployed by the IR community to extend freetext query processing toward semi-structured XML search. Most methods rely on the concept of Lowest Comment Ancestor (LCA) between two or multiple structural nodes to identify the most specific XML elements containing query keywords posted by the user. Yet, few of the existing approaches consider XML semantics, and the methods that process semantics generally rely on computationally expensive word sense disambiguation (WSD) techniques, or apply semantic analysis in one stage only: performing query relaxation/refinement over the bag of words retrieval model, to reduce processing time. In this paper, we describe a new approach for XML keyword search aiming to solve the limitations mentioned above. Our solution first transforms the XML document collection (offline) and the keyword query (on-the-fly) into meaningful semantic representations using context-based and global disambiguation methods, specially designed to allow almost linear computation efficiency. We use a semantic-aware inverted index to allow semantic-aware search, result selection, and result ranking functionality. The semantically augmented XML data tree is processed for structural node clustering, based on semantic query concepts (i.e., key-concepts), in order to identify and rank candidate answer sub-trees containing related occurrences of query key-concepts. Dedicated weighting functions and various search algorithms have been developed for that purpose and will be presented here. Experimental results highlight the quality and potential of our approach.