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PubMed1994

Effects of practice on tip-of-the-tongue states.

Tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) states were examined in relation to acquisition manipulations, using named imaginary animals (TOTimals) as targets. High levels of TOT states were found in three experiments. In the first experiment an increase in the duration of initial exposure to target material improved recall and recognition, and reduced the number of unrecalled items not in TOT states (NTOTs), but did not affect TOT levels. In Experiment 2 practice at writing target names, as compared with only reading them, improved recall performance and decreased TOT levels, but did not reduce NTOTs. Experiment 3 replicated the finding that writing during practice reduced TOT states, but did not reduce NTOTs, and also found that more frequent practice trials increased recall without affecting TOT levels. The results suggest that practice writing target names prevents TOT states by strengthening otherwise deficient phonological connections in memory, a deficiency that can cause TOT states when visual-to-lexical connections give only partial access to a target in memory. The results also demonstrate the usefulness of the TOTimal technique for testing effects of acquisition variables on TOT experiences.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2004

Premature thoughts on writing disorders.

Three papers appeared in the 19th century describing the dissociation between speech and writing: Marce (1856), Ogle (1867), and Pitres (1884). An account of the convincing evidence of dissociations put forward in these papers is presented. Three explanations are proposed as to the reason why the observations reported by these authors were overlooked or rejected by their contemporaries, namely: (a) in the first half of the century it seems that very little knowledge of the processes underlying writing (as opposed to speech) was available, (b) the debates focussed on the independence of speech versus motor control and language versus the intellect, (c) parallelisms between phylogeny, ontogeny and aphasia impeded the application of the principle of double dissociations, including the dissociations between speech and writing. It is argued that this phenomenon in the history of aphasia is best captured by the concept of prematurity in scientific discovery proposed by Stent (1972, 2003).

Agraphia↗
PubMed2004

The categorical distinction of vowel and consonant representations: evidence from dysgraphia.

Subject GSI presents with a graphemic buffer deficit following a massive left fronto-parietal lesion. His errors involved essentially only consonants (98.2%). However, he always spelled correctly the first consonant in a string, and produced steadily increasing numbers of errors on the following consonants, while always spelling all the vowels in the target correctly. The pattern of performance observed in this subject provides strong evidence for the separate (categorical) representation of consonants and vowels, and suggests that working memory interacts with independent consonant and vowel representations in spelling.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Complex graphemes as functional spelling units: evidence from acquired dysgraphia.

The visual word recognition literature suggests that complex graphemes (or digraphs) such as CK function as units. This proposal has also been put forward in recent spelling models (Houghton and Zorzi, 2003) and the study we report on here provides initial empirical support for the claim. We performed detailed analyses of the spelling performance of two brain-damaged individuals with graphemic buffer deficits. Results revealed that (a) FM and BWN made fewer errors on consonant digraphs (e.g., CK) than on matched controls clusters (e.g., CR) and (b) BWN produced more transposition errors on vowel digraphs than on control clusters. These result support the view that digraphs are represented as units in which the relative order of constituent letters is encoded.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Writing errors of a Cantonese dysgraphic patient and their theoretical implications.

This paper reports a case study of a Cantonese-speaking dysgraphic patient. Among his written errors were phonologically plausible errors that were mostly homophonous or differed only in tone from their target. They occurred not only in writing-to-dictation but also in written naming. Since his lexico-semantic system is hypothesized to be largely preserved, as evidenced by normal performance on non-verbal semantic tests and word-picture matching, the presence of homophone and tonal errors strengthened previous claims about the existence of lexically mediated non-semantic pathway of writing Chinese and access from the phonological output lexicon to the orthographic output lexicon. In addition, his non-character responses, particularly those involving substitution of constituent(s), almost always maintained the configuration of their target. This observation implies that orthographic representations contain not only information on the identity of components but also structural information. The latter may, among other possibilities, take the form of a template indicating the internal organization of the character or specification for position of occurrence for each constituent within the character.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

When more yields less: speaking and writing deficits in nonfluent progressive aphasia.

Fourteen patients with nonfluent progressive aphasia (NFPA) performed a picture description task in both spoken- and written-output conditions, as well as tests of confrontation naming, spelling to dictation and reading aloud of single words and text. Relative to controls, the patients' spoken and written picture descriptions were reduced in length, speed and amount of information. Of particular interest, and accounting for the first part of the article's title, was a pervasive pattern of poorer spoken and written output associated with the requirement to produce more; this was true when 'more' meant either (a) longer vs. shorter single words or (b) connected language vs. single words. Deficits in spoken and written naming were largely parallel and modality-specific output impairments (such as dysarthria in speech or letter-formation problems in writing) seemed to account for the minority of cases who exhibited a discrepancy. Most patients showed no evidence of agrammatism or reduced verb production in their speech, which typically had normal proportions of content and function words as well as nouns and verbs. By contrast, some degree of telegraphic output was observed in the written narratives of a number of patients. Our results argue against several candidates for the main functional locus of impairment in NFPA, but it is likely that deficits in grammatical processing, working memory, planning/executive skills, speech motor abilities and phonological processing all play a role.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Clinical, cognitive and anatomical evolution from nonfluent progressive aphasia to corticobasal syndrome: a case report.

Recent clinical and pathological studies have suggested that frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and corticobasal syndrome (CBS) show clinical and pathological overlap. We present four years of longitudinal clinical, cognitive and anatomical data in the case of a 56-year-old woman, AS, whose clinical picture evolved from FTLD to CBS. For the first three years, AS showed a progressive speech and language disorder compatible with a diagnosis of the nonfluent aphasia variant of FTLD. At year four, 10 years after her first symptom, AS developed the classical clinical signs of CBS, including alien limb phenomenon and dystonia. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) applied to AS's four annual scans showed progression of atrophy from the inferior posterior frontal gyrus, to the left insula and finally to the medial frontal lobe. This case demonstrates the clinical overlap between FTLD and CBS and shows that the two can appear in the same patient at different stages of the disease in relation to the progression of anatomical damage.

Aphasia, Broca↗
PubMed2005

Post graphemic impairments of writing: the case of micrographia.

Micrographia (MG), an acquired impairment of writing characterized by diminution of letter size, coupled with slowing and loss of accuracy, is most frequently observed in the course of degenerative disease of basal ganglia, such as Parkinson's Disease. Only a few cases of MG without concomitant extrapyramidal signs have been described, mostly following vascular lesion of the left basal ganglia. In this article we report an isolated pattern of MG following an extensive traumatic cerebral lesion centered in the left basal ganglia. The nature of this impairment is analyzed according to a cognitive model of writing and interpreted as a specific example of peripheral dysgraphia.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Is slowly progressive anarthria a "pure" motor-speech disorder? Evidence from writing performance.

It is usually assumed that writing is normal in patients with anarthria, but a careful examination of the literature shows that they produce deletions, transpositions and insertions. Indeed, a matter of debate concerns the distinction between primary progressive aphasia (PPA) and slowly progressive anarthria (SPA). If writing deficits were purely linguistic errors, then there would be no reason to consider slowly progressive anarthria as distinct from non-fluent PPA. We report the case of a patient with SPA in whom writing abilities were specifically assessed. No lexical-semantic deficits were detected, but errors were deletions, substitutions or transpositions, with no frequency, length or lexicality effect; moreover, controls produced the same kind of errors during articulatory suppression. It is suggested that subvocal rehearsal plays a role in writing, allowing the conversion/assembly of the phonological string in a graphemic representation. Therefore, writing deficits do not appear to have a linguistic basis and SPA seems distinguishable from nonfluent forms of aphasia.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Effects of culture, sex, and age on the distribution of handedness: an evaluation of the sensitivity of three measures of handedness.

The present study examined the effects of culture, age, and sex on three measures of handedness: writing hand, Annett's primary handedness items, and a measure based on hand preference for 11 activities. Using data from a large international study, the relationship between the culture in which participants learned to write (as defined by Hofstede's cultural dimensions) and adult handedness was examined. Participants who learned to write in formal cultures were less likely to be classified as left-handed than those who learned in less formal cultures. Older participants and those who learned to write in formal cultures were more likely to be classified as left-handed by the Annett and 11 item measures than by the writing hand classification. Across measures females were less likely to be classified as left-handed than males. Handedness for writing was found to be more sensitive to cultural influences than the other measures. These results suggest that some measures of handedness may be more sensitive to specific handedness aetiologies than others.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Cultural influences on the development of lateral preferences: a comparison between French and Tunisian children.

We compared the development of laterality in two cultures that differ in pressure against left-handedness. Tunisian children, who are discouraged by their parents from using their left hand for all food-related activities, were compared to French children, who are allowed to use either the left or right hand. The subjects were 5, 7, and 9 years of age. To check the development of laterality, we tested hand preference (for writing and for performing 14 other manual activities), right-left performance difference, eye preference, and foot preference. The results showed that the frequency of left-handedness and left-eyedness was lower among Tunisian than among French children; this was particularly clear at age 5. Group difference almost disappeared in primary school children. Footedness did not differ between the two groups. Tunisian right-hand writers, although they probably included some children who might not have been right-handed without the cultural pressure, were not less consistent than French right-hand writers on the 14-item scale; they even showed a greater performance difference in favour of the right hand than the French on the pegboard task. These results may indicate that cultural pressure influences handedness at an early age, perhaps by leading towards right-handedness in children whose genetic background might otherwise have induced a chance-determined pattern of handedness.

Child↗
PubMed2006

Drawing on either side of the brain.

Although both the cerebral laterality of processing visual information and human drawing skill have long been sources of investigation, there is not much empirical work combining the two. In this study, an attempt was made to explore if known different specialisations of the two cerebral hemispheres could help in predicting qualities of drawings produced by each hand. For this purpose, an amateur artist who is able to draw with either the left or the right hand produced a series of realistic drawings of 3D objects. Then 28 participants rated the drawings for several predetermined perceptual and aesthetic properties. The participants judged drawings made with the left hand as superior to those made with the right hand. Given that the right hemisphere controls the left hand, we suggest that this hand might also benefit from the more direct access to lateralised areas that are involved in the processing aspects of visual information and spatial properties (e.g., depth and shading). These perceptual processes may thus play an important role in the ability to draw realistic depictions of objects.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Designing clinical interventions for children with specific memory disorders.

Despite increasing research into the severe effects of childhood memory disorders, there is currently a paucity of evidence available to inform the design of appropriate rehabilitation strategies. Indeed, within the paediatric literature there is no model that links specific memory disorders with hypotheses for appropriate rehabilitation strategies. This paper introduces a series of intervention hypotheses based on an examination of the strengths and weaknesses associated with each type of childhood memory disorder, including short-term phonological, visuo-spatial, central executive and long-term semantic and episodic memory. Guidance is provided for integrating the hypotheses within practical rehabilitation strategies and case studies are described to examine a number of the hypotheses.

Articulation Disorders↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Writing with voice: an investigation of the use of a voice recognition system as a writing aid for a man with aphasia.

BACKGROUND: People with aphasia may experience difficulties that prevent them from demonstrating in writing what they know and can produce orally. Voice recognition systems that allow the user to speak into a microphone and see their words appear on a computer screen have the potential to assist written communication. AIM: This study investigated whether a man with fluent aphasia could learn to use Dragon NaturallySpeaking to write. METHODS & PROCEDURES: A single case study of a man with acquired writing difficulties is reported. A detailed account is provided of the stages involved in teaching him to use the software. The therapy tasks carried out to develop his functional use of the system are then described. Outcomes included the percentage of words accurately recognized by the system over time, the quantitative and qualitative changes in written texts produced with and without the use of the speech-recognition system, and the functional benefits the man described. OUTCOMES & RESULTS: The treatment programme was successful and resulted in a marked improvement in the subject's written work. It also had effects in the functional life domain as the subject could use writing for communication purposes. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the technology might benefit others with acquired writing difficulties.

Aphasia↗
PubMed2004

Normative data on the Korean version of the Western Aphasia Battery.

The study aimed to describe the properties of the Korean version of the Western Aphasia Battery (hereinafter K-WAB) and to present the normative data of normal individuals and patients. The K-WAB contains the same test contents and structure as the original WAB and the general test administration method was maintained. We administered the K-WAB to 224 normal adults in seven age groups (1524, 2534, 3544, 4554, 5564, 6574, and 75 years or older), in five educational levels (0, 16, 79, 1012, and 13 years or more) and by gender. The age and educational levels were influential to the K-WAB performance. Accordingly, we formed six subgroups of the normal: two age groups (1574, and 75 years or older groups) by three educational groups (0, 16, and 7 years or more). Two hundred thirty-eight patients were also evaluated using the K-WAB. The highest aphasia quotient (AQ), language quotient (LQ), and cortical quotient (CQ) were achieved by 1574 age group with 7 or more years of education (M=97.11,M=95.51,M=95.57, respectively). Based on the receiver operating curve (ROC) analyses on AQ, LQ and CQ values, cut-off scores to optimally differentiate between the normal and the aphasic individuals were also provided.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Limb-segment selection in drawing behaviour.

How do we select combinations of limb segments to carry out physical tasks? Three possible determinants of limb-segment selection are hypothesized here: (1) optimal amplitudes and frequencies of motion for the effectors; (2) preferred movement axes for the effectors; and (3) a tendency to continue using already-recruited limb-segments. We tested these factors in a graphic production task. Seven subjects produced back-and-forth drawing movements of gradually changing amplitude. The largest amplitude to be covered, trial duration, movement axis, and direction of amplitude change (from small to large or vice versa) were varied between trials. Selspot recordings were used to study the relative contributions of the fingers, hand, and arm to displacements of the pen. The temporal order of limb-segment involvement was also studied. The results confirmed the predicted effects of the three limb-segment selection factors. We conclude that limb-segment coordination is adaptively related to biomechanical features of the motor system and to the computational demands of movement selection itself.

Adult↗