Masked priming treatment for anomia

描述（由申请人提供）：本项目研究失语症中单词检索问题的新治疗方法，失语症是一种衰弱的语言障碍，通常由左脑中风引起。在典型的成人系统中，思考单词的能力是由一套复杂的过程支持的，这些过程是自动运行的，不受意识控制（即隐性的）。先前的研究证据表明，这些自动过程在失语症中受损，与典型的系统在不同的时间过程中运作。本申请中提出的单受试者、多基线设计研究将评估一种旨在直接解决这些自动过程的治疗方法，以恢复快速、准确的语言处理。这种疗法已经在两名失语症患者身上进行了一期试验。结果表明，在同一类别中，经过训练的物品的命名变得更加准确，而未经训练的物品的命名则大大降低。此外，一些跨类别的推广是明显的。在这里提出的早期二期研究是开发这种新型治疗方法的下一个关键步骤，评估其在10名失语症患者中的效果。本研究的目的是评估这种治疗方法的治疗、推广和维持效果。在这个项目中研究的治疗方法包括潜意识地呈现图片名称（隐藏启动），以鼓励自动处理，而不参与可能干扰自动反应的明确的、有意识的过程。为了在语言处理网络中重建单词与其所指物之间的联系，蒙面启动物将与它们各自的图片反复配对。在被蒙面的启动物和图片多次配对后，参与者将被要求说出图片的名字，鼓励他们进入由启动物和图片对预先刺激的语言网络部分。每个训练项目每节重复4次。两个语义类别将分别进行16次训练。在治疗前、治疗中和治疗后，将进行多次命名准确性和反应时间的探针测试，以评估治疗后功能的累积变化。此外，将通过对未训练项目的重复命名探测来测量类别内和跨类别概括。这项研究的结果将用于追求更大规模的治疗方法的发展，直接针对自动语言处理网络的恢复。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This project investigates a novel treatment for word retrieval problems in aphasia, a debilitating language disorder typically resulting from a stroke on the left side of the brain. In the typical adult system, the ability to think of words is suppored by a complex set of processes that operate automatically and outside of conscious control (i.e., implicitly). Prior research evidence suggests that these automatic processes are impaired in aphasia, operating on a different time-course than in the typical system. The single-subject, multiple baseline design study proposed in this application will assess a treatment designed to directly address these automatic processes in order to restore rapid, accurate language processing. This treatment has already been tested in a Phase 1 study with two individuals with aphasia. Results demonstrated that naming became more accurate for treated items but substantially less so for untrained items within the same categories. In addition, some cross- category generalization was evident. The early Phase 2 study proposed here is the next critical step in developing this novel treatment methodology, assessing its effects in 10 individuals with aphasia. The aims of this study are to assess treatment, generalization, and maintenance effects of this treatment approach. The treatment being studied in this project involves presenting picture names subliminally (masked priming), to encourage automatic processing without engaging explicit, conscious processes that could interfere with the automatic response. The masked primes will be repeatedly paired with their respective pictures, in order to rebuild the connections between words and their referents within the language processing network. After multiple pairings of the masked primes and pictures, the participants will be asked to name the picture, encouraging access to the portions of the language network pre-stimulated by the prime-picture pairs. This procedure will be repeated 4 times per session for each item being trained. Two semantic categories will be trained for 16 sessions each. Probe tests of naming accuracy and response time will be conducted multiple times before, during, and after treatment to assess cumulative changes in function as a result of the treatment. In addition, within-category and across-category generalization will be measured by repeated naming probes of untrained items. Findings from this study will be used to pursue larger-scale development of treatment methods for anomia that directly target restoration of automatic language processing networks.