Abstract Details

Title Discourse Comprehension in Healthy Adults and Individuals with Acute Aphasia: an fNIRS Study

Topic Aging, Dementia, and Behavioral Neurology

Presentation(s) P3 - Poster Session 3 (5:30 PM-6:30 PM)

Poster/Presentation
Number 7-002

Background

fNIRS is a non-invasive optical imaging technique used to measure the brain’s hemodynamic response to task-induced neuronal activity. Like other functional imaging, it can reveal reorganization of brain functions induced by lesions, but is less expensive and easier to tolerate than MRI or PET. However, few fNIRS studies have investigated language processing in PWA.

Objective

To test the hypothesis that functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) reveals activation of the language network (identified with converging data from functional imaging and lesion studies) in healthy controls and both perilesional and right hemisphere cortical regions in persons with acute aphasia (PWA) after stroke during discourse comprehension.

Design/Methods

We studied 11 PWA (2 female; mean age = 62.9; mean months post onset = 0.17) and 11 healthy adults (3 female; mean age = 67.4). A discourse comprehension task consisted of experimental (real stories) and control (reversed speech) conditions, which occurred in alternating blocks during two task runs. Participants were asked to look at a fixation cross on the screen and listen to the stories. Participants answered questions about the stories after the task. At the beginning of the session, participants were fitted with an fNIRS cap containing a 16x16 configuration of source and detector optodes arranged in 46 total measurement channels with eight short-separation detectors. We measured changes in oxyhemoglobin concentrations (HbO) during real stories versus reversed speech.

Results

Controls and PWA recruited left inferior frontal, superior temporal (STG), and supramarginal gyri (SMG) (language network) exemplified by changes in HbO while listening to discourse. Notably, controls showed strong posterior STG activity whereas PWA exhibited activity in anterior STG. Right-sided homologous language areas were recruited during experimental conditions. Controls demonstrated stronger activation in the right SMG compared to PWA.

Conclusions

fNIRS is a promising tool for identifying reorganization of language networks in PWA due to stroke.

Authors/Disclosures
Hana Kim, PhD (University of South Florida) PRESENTER	Dr. Kim has received research support from NIH.
Lisa D. Bunker, PhD, CCC-SLP (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine)	Dr. Bunker has received research support from NIH.
	No disclosure on file
Argye E. Hillis, MD, MA (Johns Hopkins Hospital)	Dr. Hillis has received personal compensation for serving as an employee of Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Hillis has received personal compensation in the range of $10,000-$49,999 for serving as an Editor, Associate Editor, or Editorial Advisory Board Member for American Heart Association. The institution of Dr. Hillis has received research support from NIH. Dr. Hillis has received publishing royalties from a publication relating to health care. Dr. Hillis has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a NIDCD Council Member with NIH.