u08d2 Communication Disorders For this discussion:

Locate a recent, full-text article from the Capella Library on one communication disorder (such as anomia or agraphia) and its neurophysiological correlates. Read and briefly summarize the article. Answer: o What was the central finding of the article? o Why is it important? o How does the article supplement and extend the material in the text? Be specific in your examples. Cite your reference using APA guidelines.

Response Guidelines Respond to at least one other learner. Your response is expected to be substantive in nature and to reference the assigned readings, as well as other theoretical, empirical, or professional literature to support your views and writings. Reference your sources using standard APA guidelines. 1. Research article summary The research article under review examined the effects of a phonologic rehabilitation treatment for anomia patients (Kendall, et al., 2008). Neurodegenerative disorders (e.g. Alzheimers disease) and stokes can elicit severe language impairments resulting in primary progressive aphasia (PPA). Anomia is a common symptom of PPA, more specifically a major speech deficit in Brocas aphasia (Hurley, 2010). According to Carlson (2013), anomia results in word-finding difficulty and demonstrates impaired ability to access appropriate verbal output for a given visual stimulus in a naming task. Traditional treatment approaches involve training anomia patients in whole word naming with a generalized training corpus of words and interpretations. However, the sheer volume of words needed for effective daily functioning is extensive, thus more feasible approaches to alleviating the symptoms of anomia are warranted. Kendall, et al., 2008 offer an alternative approach through the use of an extensive training repertoire of phonemes and phonological knowledge capable of supporting a comprehensive range of words. A foundational aspect of their training regimen was the emphasis on a parallel distributed processing model (PDP) of language function which theoretically defined the topography, correlating relationships and neural pathways of modular domains for phonological representation. Moreover, the PDP model is based upon the interconnectedness of acoustic,

articulatory motor and conceptual representations in associated neural cortices in which knowledge is based upon excitatory connection strengths. Generalized knowledge is represented by the associative networks of acoustic and articulatory motor pathways formed through phonemic sequences of phonemes and phonologically stored knowledge in modular domains. Ten Participants (six men, 4 women) were recruited from the Veterans Administration Rehabilitation Research and Development Center in Gainesville, Florida. Selection criteria for participation involved a documented CT or MRI report indicating the participant had incurred a single left hemisphere stroke within at least 6 months of the study, was English speaking, and right handed. Exclusion criteria included significant apraxia of speech, degenerative neurological disease, chronic mental illness or severe impairment of vision or hearing. The training utilized auditory, visual, tactile-kinesthetic and orthographic input. The experimental quantitative design involved a pretest and posttest methodology using a battery of psychometric testing measures to assess the impact of treatment on the acquisition of phonological sequence knowledge. 2. What was the central finding of the article? The results of the study to test phoneme based treatment on patients with anomia in aphasia indicated that naming confrontation improved by focusing treatment efforts on the phonological modules that enhance phonological sequence knowledge. It is noteworthy that 8 of the ten subjects achieved gains after treatment and specific auditory perception abilities proved to be a valid indicator of treatment protocol success. Some missing data limited the external validity of the study. However, results also indicated the model aids in comprehension and reading as well as confrontational naming through activation of analogous cortical mechanisms. 3. Why is this important and how does the article supplement or extend the material in the text? The importance of this research study is twofold: 1) it provides a successful working treatment template to link common phonemes and phonological sequences to semantic representations to alleviate the symptoms of anomia and, 2) it provides additional valid support for a PDP mental model in which all forms of knowledge are represented as a neural network structure consisting of nodes and modules in a pattern of excitatory neural connectivity. The authors concur that more robust results may be possible through the refinement and modification of the therapy through the addition of real words, conversational discourse and more treatment time efficiency. This research provides a viable treatment solution for anomia in Brocas aphasiacs which is essentially lacking in Carlsons (2013, p. 483) explanation of this disorder. Secondly, it accentuates the validity of the PDP model in contrast to the computer inspired information processing models espoused by some neurocognitive psychologists today. The model reiterates that that despite the input of partial or degraded cognitive information in the form of phonemes and phonological sequences, neural plasticity within cortical regions of the brain that contain

various connective processing modules can re-create correct patterns to form words thus enhancing an anomia patients ability to rehearse and learn new information. Anthony Rhodes General Psychology PhD. References Carlson, N. R. (2013). Physiology of behavior (11th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. ISBN: 9780205239399. Hurley, R. S. E. (2010). Mechanisms of anomia in primary progressive aphasia. Northwestern University). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, , 122. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/763009805?accountid=27965 Kendall, D., Rosenbek, J., Heilman, K., Conway, T., Klenberg, K., Gonzalez Rothi, L., Nadeau, S. (2008). Phoneme-based rehabilitation of anomia in aphasia. Brain and Language. 105, 1-17.