Title: Conceptual semantics can offset the influence of lexical deficits on word-retrieval impairments in aphasia
Citation: Dresang, H. C., Warren, T., Hula, W. D., & Dickey, M. W. (2024). Rational adaptation in word production: Strong conceptual ability reduces the effect of lexical impairments on verb retrieval in aphasia. Neuropsychologia, 201, 108938. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2024.108938
Abstract: Language users rely on both linguistic and conceptual processing abilities to efficiently comprehend or produce language. According to the principle of rational adaptation, the degree to which a cognitive system relies on one process vs. another can change under different conditions or disease states with the goal of optimizing behavior. In this study, we investigated rational adaptation in reliance on linguistic versus conceptual processing in aphasia, an acquired disorder of language. In individuals living with aphasia, verb-retrieval impairments are a pervasive deficit that negatively impacts communicative function. As such, we examined evidence of adaptation in verb production, using parallel measures to index impairment in two of verb naming’s critical subcomponents: conceptual and linguistic processing. These component processes were evaluated using a standardized assessment battery designed to contrast non-linguistic (picture input) and linguistic (word input) tasks of conceptual action knowledge. The results indicate that non-linguistic conceptual action processing can be impaired in people with aphasia and contributes to verb-retrieval impairments. Furthermore, relatively unimpaired conceptual action processing can ameliorate the influence of linguistic processing deficits on verb-retrieval impairments. These findings are consistent with rational adaptation accounts, indicating that conceptual processing plays a key role in language function and can be leveraged in rehabilitation to improve verb retrieval in adults with chronic aphasia.
Investigator: Haley Dresang, PhD
About the Lab: Dr. Dresang’s research examines the cognitive and neural underpinnings of language, communication impairments, and treatments that can improve language following stroke, brain injury, and neurodegenerative conditions. Her research takes place at the Waisman Center, where she directs the Neuroscience of Language and Neurological Disorders “NeuroLAND” Lab.