SLHS 1402 FINAL

what does speech mean

verbal production of sounds

language

shared system of words and rules used to communicate

communication

process of exchanging info (gestures, speech)

phonology

smallest unit of sound that distinguishes meaning

• p vs b in bat or pat

morphology

smallest unit of meaning (base words, prefixes, suffixes)

syntax

The set of rules that governs word order and how words combine to form phrases and sentences

• subject verb subject

semantics

the meaning of words

• understanding the word “bank” could mean a financial institution or a rivers edge

pragmatics

how context influences the interpretation of meaning and the social rules for using language

• “can you pass the salt” is understood as a request rather than a literal question about ones physical ability to lift the salt

what type of information can you find in the introduction

sets the stage by defining the research problem and its significance

• background info

• existing literature

• research question

• hypothesis

what information can you find in the methods section

explanation on how the study was conducted to allow for reproducibility

what info can you find in the results sections

• key data

• statistical significance and main effects (p values)

what info can you find in the discussion

interpretation of the findings

• future research ideas

• limitations

what function does dendrites serve

• receive signals

• branch like extensions that receive chemical messages from other neurons and convert them into electrical impulses (neurotransmitters) from other neurons and convert them into electrical impulses

what function does the soma (cell body) serve

contains the nucleus and metabolic machinery to maintain the neuron

• integrates incoming signals from dendrites

what function does the axon hillock serve

The junction between the soma and axon that acts as a trigger zone, deciding whether to send an electrical impulse (action potential)

what function does the axon serve

A long, tail-like structure that conducts the action potential away from the soma toward other neurons, muscles, or glands.

myelin sheath

A fatty layer insulating the axon, increasing the speed of signal conduction.

what function does the synapse serve

The junction (gap) between the axon terminal of one neuron and the dendrite of another.

What is the difference between the central and peripheral nervous system?

CNS consists of the brain and spinal cord the PNS comprises all nerves outside the. brain and spinal cord, acting as a messenger network connecting the CNS to limbs and organs

what plane is this

frontal or coronal plane

what plane is this

saggital

what plane is this

horizontal / transverse plane

central sulcus

lateral sulcus

primary auditory cortex

what is the role of the primary auditory cortex

auditory information is integrated here

motor cortex

what is the function of the motor cortex

to plan, control, and execute voluntary skeletal muscle movements

primary sensory cortex

(m before s so motor is before sensory)

what is the function of the primary sensory cortex

processing hub for somatic sensations—including touch, pain, temperature, and proprioception (limb position)

primary visual cortex

what is the function of the primary visual cortex

processes basic visual features such as orientation, edge detection, spatial frequency, and motion

what are the strengths and weaknesses associated with the lesion method

Weaknesses

• lacks generalizability

• have to wait for the person to die, so it takes a long time

• difficult to target precise deep subcortical structures

Strengths

• strong causal inference

what are the strengths and weaknesses associated with fMRI

Weaknesses

• poor temporal resolution

• high cost

• low reproducibility

Strengths:

• high spatial resolution

• wide availability

• safe and non invasive

what are the strengths and weaknesses associated with ERP

Weakness:

• high cost

• rigidity

Strengths:

• real-time reporting

What is Wernicke’s aphasia

a language disorder caused by damage to the brain's temporal lobe characterized by the ability to speak fluently and with normal rhythm, but the content is nonsensical, full of made-up words

what is global aphasia

It damages all language areas of the left hemisphere—both producing speech and understanding it are heavily impaired. Patients often cannot read, write, or comprehend spoken language, usually following a stroke or severe brain injury

what is brocas aphasia

a non-fluent, expressive language disorder caused by damage to the brain's frontal lobeIndividuals understand speech well but struggle to produce it, speaking in short, halting phrases with great effort

if someone is not fluent, unable to repeat things, but has intact comprehension what kind of aphasia could it be?

Brocas

if someone is fluent, unable to repeat things, and does not have intact comprehension what kind of aphasia could it be?

Wernickes

if someone is not fluent, unable to comprehend, and is not able to repeat things what kind of aphasia could it be?

global

what are the similarities between stroke aphasia and PPA (primary progressive aphasia)

Both conditions primarily disrupt the brain's left perisylvian language network, causing symptoms like difficulty finding words (anomia), forming sentences, or understanding spoken language.

what are the differences between stroke aphasia and PPA (primary progressive aphasia)

• PPA is a gradual slow onset unlike stroke aphasia where it is almost sudden

• PPA is caused by a neurodegenerative disease (brain atrophy)

• PPA individuals are aware of their deficits

what is prosody

the patterns of rhythm, stress, and intonation in spoken language

what are the common deficits with right hemisphere damage

• difficulty with pragmatics (apragmatism)

• lack of awareness of deficits (anosognia - deny they have a problem)

• tangentiality - going off topic

• difficult with abstract or figurative language

• changes in prosody and emotional inflection

How do the deficits in right hemisphere differ from the impairments we see following left hemisphere damage?

Right hemisphere damage typically causes spatial-perceptual deficits, left-sided neglect, and impulsive behaviors, whereas left hemisphere damage primarily impairs language (aphasia), speech, and logical reasoning

are contusions primary or secondary consequences to a TBI

primary consequence

resulting from coup / contre coup linear acceleration damage (back and forth)

are diffuse axonal injuries primary or secondary

primary, resulting from rotational acceleration damage (twisting and shearing axons)

what are the primary consequences of TBI

contusions, diffuse axonal injury , hemorrhage

what are the secondary consequences of TBI

• cerebral edema - brain swelling

• ischemic brain damage - pinching off / loss of blood flow to brain

• elevated intracranial pressure

what is elevated intracranial pressure

swelling of brain

what are contusions

brain bruises

what is diffuse axonal injury

brain shifting, stretching, and tearing its long nerve fibers (axons)

What is the main difference between the communication deficits we tend to see following TBI compared to the deficits we tend to see following left-hemisphere stroke?

TBI deficits include: pragmatics, tangentiality, organization of sentences, anomia

“individuals with aphasia communicate better than they talk; individuals with TBI talk better than they communicate”

left hemishere strokes cause aphasia

Why do TBI deficits and left hemispheric stroke brain injury differ in their effects on communication?

because the left hemisphere holds the language centers so deficits are more localized as opposed to TBI where it is diffuse

what is dementia

clinical syndrome defined by deterioration of memory and at least one other cognitive function that interferes with activities of daily lives

what is alzeheimer’s disease

• most common type of dementia

• amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles

• starts in the hippocampus

• brain atrophy (shrinking)

what is frontotemporal dementia

• umbrella term, capturing multiple kinds of rare dementias, that tend to impact frontal and temporal lobes first

• primary progressive aphasia

• first symptoms are changes to personality and behavior

what is vascular dementia

• most commonly caused by thrombotic or embolic strokes (mini strokes)

• a decline in thinking skills caused by conditions that block or reduce blood flow to the brain, depriving it of oxygen and nutrients. It is the second most common form of dementia, often characterized by sudden or step-wise decline

how does communication change as dementia progresses?

• lack of coherence in discourse

• tangential

• perseverative - getting “stuck” on a particular idea

• impaired concept formulation and expression

• syntax and phonology relatively spared until the very late stages of the disease (exact opposite of PPA)

what is amnesia

a significant loss of memories, such as facts, information, or experiences, typically caused by brain injury, disease, or psychological trauma. It involves difficulty forming new memories (anterograde) or recalling past ones (retrograde), but usually does not affect intelligence or identity

What are common causes of selective damage to vmPFC

• often due to an anterior communicating artery aneurysm

• brain tumor within vmPFC

• Phineas Gage

What are the common causes of selective damage to medial temporal lobe/hippocampus?

• brief period of anoxia

• herpes simplex encephalitis

What are the benefits of studying focal lesions for understanding more common disorders like TBI and dementia?

allows researchers to establish direct causal links between specific brain structures and cognitive functions

Be able to identify principles of Supported Conversation for Aphasia for “getting the message in”, “getting the message out”, and “verifying” the message

getting the message in through clear, simple language and visual aids, getting the message out by encouraging varied modalities and providing time, and verifying the message by summarizing and confirming understanding

What characteristics make written material “aphasia friendly”?

simplified language and clear, accessible design. Key characteristics include using a large font size (14-18 point) in a sans-serif style (like Arial or Verdana), incorporating significant white space

Be able to identify which research designs hold more or less weight for evidence-based practice

most

1. meta analysis

2. randomized controlled trials

3. prospective group studies

4. multiple baseline single case design

5. expert opinion

6. uncontrolled case reports

least

what is the supported conversation approach to people with aphasia

trains conversation partners to act as a "communication ramp" using multi-modal approaches, including gestures, writing keywords, drawing, and using pictures to both receive and express messages.

what is the cueing hierarchy approach to people with aphasia

• client verbalizes the objects name

• SLP verbalizes the object function and the client attempts to name the object

• client attempts to name the object following a spoken sentence completion cue (at night I go to sleep in my ____)

• client attempts to name the object following a spoken sentence completion cue plus the spoken first phoneme

• client repeats the name followong a spoken model of the name

what is script training approach to people with aphasia

improves conversational fluency by repeatedly practicing personalized monologues or dialogues. Through intense, repetitive drilling, these functional phrases become automatic "islands of speech" that the individual can use in real-life interactions.

• common things like ordering food

• introducing oneself

what is the Semantic Feature Analysis approach to people with aphasia

a word-finding therapy that helps people with aphasia improve naming by creating "semantic maps" of objects. By answering specific questions about an item's category, function, description, and location, patients strengthen neural connections and improve word retrieval

• strengthens existing semantic networks

what is the Response Elaboration Training approach to people with aphasia

expanding on their initiated utterances. Rather than correcting errors, clinicians use pictures and WH-questions (who, what, where) to encourage longer, more detailed sentences, effectively increasing content words and improving word retrieval

• man shaving example

what is the Melodic Intonation Therapy approach to people with aphasia

uses humming, singing, and rhythmic hand-tapping to stimulate the brain’s right hemisphere. By exaggerating pitch and rhythm, it helps patients transition from singing functional phrases to speaking them, typically for patients with good comprehension but poor verbal output.

what kind of therapy approach targets word finding difficulties in people with aphasia

cueing and script training

what kind of therapy approach targets limited verbal output and agrammatism difficulties in people with aphasia

response elaboration training and melodic intonation therapy