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.

我们提出了一系列的研究，应用认知神经心理学的方法来调查 西班牙语-英语双语者阿尔茨海默病（AD）的行为表现。我们使用双语模式 AD的语言处理和认知下降，以激发实验操作，这将揭示 双语AD患者认知缺陷的潜在机制。我们还处理关键的实际问题， 旨在确定是否应该允许双语者在认知评估期间使用任何一种语言，如果 用一种语言进行测试会妨碍随后在另一种语言中的表现，更一般地说，如何最大限度地提高 双语者对AD的测试性能和测试敏感性。理论上的考虑开始与证据， 虽然双语者在只说一种语言时看起来与单语者没有什么不同， 语言始终保持活跃（他们不能只是“关闭一种语言”）。双语者也会转换语言 两者都跨上下文（例如，在家里与在工作中），并在句子中（与其他双语者交谈时）。 由于每种语言只使用一段时间，双语者使用每种语言的频率也低于 只会说一种语言的人因此，双语者面临着独特的控制要求， 他们的日常语言用途：选择说哪种语言，切换语言，检索较少 经常使用的语言表达，以及管理语言之间的竞争。统称 拟议中的研究将探讨这些差异如何影响一些最常用的认知测试 (e.g.,图片命名、列表记忆、言语流畅性）。这些研究还将检查实验任务 旨在引出更自然的连接讲话，包括参考沟通任务和阅读- 最近在双语者中证明了对AD的敏感性。每一项研究都集中在关键问题上。 我们假设可能影响测试性能的因素-特别是在患有AD的双语者中，包括：（a） 在测试块之间切换语言（顺序效应），（B）在测试块内切换（“或 语言”选项），以及（c）在语义和句法上下文的不同程度的支持下切换。我们 假设与健康对照组相比，患有AD的双语者将表现出更大的测试顺序效应， 减少了“使用任一语言”选项的好处（这需要自愿转换语言）。 患有AD的双语者也可能表现出更突出的转换缺陷和对语言的控制能力降低。 当句法语境不支持语言转换时的主导语言。拟议的研究 将开发独特的工具来诊断双语者的AD，并将揭示哪些认知机制是 这对于在一个认知系统中管理两种语言的激活、表征和使用至关重要。反过来， 拟议的研究将限制双语语言处理的心理语言学模型， 双语如何导致老年人更高的认知功能维持的线索， 双语能力的哪些方面在AD中最具挑战性。