Language Switching with Alzheimer's Disease

阿尔茨海默病的语言转换

• 批准号: 10605250
• 负责人: Tamar Gollan
• 金额: $ 61.6万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-04-15 至 2027-03-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10605250
• 关键词: Address; Affect; Alzheimer disease detection; Alzheimer' s Disease; Alzheimer' s disease diagnosis; Alzheimer' s disease related dementia; Alzheimer' s disease risk; Behavioral; Clinical; Cognitive; Cognitive deficits; Communication; Cues; Differential Diagnosis; Early Diagnosis; Elderly; Exhibits; Face; Freedom; Home; Impaired cognition; Instruction; Language; Latino Population; Linguistics; Maintenance; Managed Competition; Memory; Modeling; Monitor; Names; Nature; Neuropsychology; Patients; Pattern; Performance; Population; Procedures; Production; Psycholinguistics; Reading; Research; Semantics; Series; Specific qualifier value; Speech; Testing; Theoretical model; Time; Work; bilingualism; cognitive function; cognitive system; cognitive task; cognitive testing; cost; design; human old age (65+); improved; language impairment; language processing; performance tests; prevent; semantic processing; syntax; tool; verbal

We propose a series of studies that apply a cognitive neuropsychological approach to investigate the behavioral presentation of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in Spanish-English bilinguals. We use models of bilingual language processing and cognitive decline in AD to motivate experimental manipulations that will reveal the mechanism/s underlying cognitive deficits in bilinguals with AD. We also address critical practical questions, aiming to determine if bilinguals should be allowed to use either language during cognitive assessment, if testing in one language hinders subsequent performance in the other, and more generally how to maximize test performance and test sensitivity to AD in bilinguals. Theoretical considerations begin with evidence that although bilinguals do not seem different from monolinguals when they speak in just one language, both languages always remain active (they cannot just “shut one language off”). Bilinguals also switch languages both across contexts (e.g., at home vs. at work), and within sentences (when conversing with other bilinguals). By virtue of using each language only some of the time, bilinguals also use each language less frequently than monolinguals who only use the one language they know. Thus, bilinguals face unique control requirements in their everyday language use: choosing which language to speak, switching languages, retrieving less frequently used linguistic representations, and managing competition between languages. Together, the proposed studies will examine how these differences affect some of the most commonly used cognitive tests (e.g., picture naming, list memory, verbal fluency). These studies will also examine experimental tasks designed to elicit more naturalistic connected speech, including a referential communication task and a read- aloud task that recently demonstrated sensitivity to AD in bilinguals. Each proposed study focuses on key factors that we hypothesize can affect test performance – especially in bilinguals with AD, including: (a) switching languages across testing blocks (order effects), (b) switching within a testing block (the “either language” option), and (c) switching with varying degrees of support from semantic and syntactic context. We hypothesize that relative to healthy controls, bilinguals with AD will exhibit larger testing order effects, and reduced benefit from the option to “use either language” (which invites voluntary language switching). Bilinguals with AD may also exhibit more prominent switching deficits and reduced ability to exert control over the dominant language when language switches are not supported by syntactic context. The proposed studies will develop unique tools for diagnosis of AD in bilinguals and will reveal which cognitive mechanisms are critical for managing activation, representation, and use of two languages in a single cognitive system. In turn, the proposed studies will constrain psycholinguistic models of bilingual language processing and will provide clues as to how bilingualism leads to higher maintenance of cognitive functioning in older age by revealing which aspects of bilingualism are most challenging in AD.

我们提出了一系列研究，该研究采用认知神经心理学方法来研究 阿尔茨海默氏病（AD）中西班牙语英语双语者的行为表现。我们使用双语模型 语言处理和AD的认知能力下降到动机实验操作中，这将揭示 AD双语中的机制的基本认知缺陷。我们还解决了关键的实际问题， 旨在确定是否应允许双语者在认知评估期间使用任何两种语言，是否 一种语言的测试阻碍了另一种语言的后续表现，更一般而言如何最大化 测试性能和对双语中AD的敏感性。理论考虑始于证据 尽管双语者只用一种语言说话时似乎与单语言没有什么不同，但 语言始终保持活跃（它们不能仅仅“关闭一种语言”）。双语者也切换语言 跨越上下文（例如，在家中，在工作中）和句子内（与其他双语者交谈时）。 仅仅在某些时候使用每种语言，双语者也使用每种语言的频率频率少于 只使用他们知道的一种语言的单语言。这是双语者在 他们每天的语言使用：选择说哪种语言，切换语言，检索更少的语言 经常使用语言表示，并管理语言之间的竞争。在一起， 拟议的研究将研究这些差异如何影响一些最常用的认知测试 （例如，图片命名，列出记忆，口头流利度）。这些研究还将检查实验任务 旨在引起更自然的联系语音，包括参考沟通任务和阅读 最近在双语者中表现出对AD敏感的大声任务。每个提出的研究都集中于关键 我们假设的因素会影响测试性能 - 尤其是在具有AD的双语者中，包括：（a） 在测试块上切换语言（顺序效果），（b）在测试块中切换（“ ither” 语言选项）和（c）通过语义和句法上下文的不同程度的支持切换。我们 假设相对于健康对照组，具有AD的双语者将表现出更大的测试顺序效应，并且 从选项中降低了“使用两种语言”（邀请自愿性语言切换）的好处。 带有广告的双语者也可能表现出更为突出的切换定义和降低对控制的能力 当语言开关不受句法上下文支持时，主导语言。提出的研究 将开发独特的工具用于双语中的AD诊断，并将揭示哪些认知机制是 在单个认知系统中管理两种语言的激活，表示和使用至关重要。反过来， 拟议的研究将限制双语语言处理的心理语言模型，并将提供 关于双语的线索如何通过揭示老年人的认知功能维持更高的维持 在广告中，双语的哪些方面最挑战。