Adrià Rofes1,2, Andrea Talacchi3, Barbara Santini3, Giampietro Pinna4, Lyndsey Nickels5, Roelien Bastiaanse6, Gabriele Miceli7. 1. a Global Brain Health Institute , Trinity College Dublin , Dublin , Ireland. 2. b Department of Cognitive Science , Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore , MD , USA. 3. c Section of Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosciences , University of Verona , Verona , Italy. 4. d Department of Neurosurgery , University Hospital , Verona , Verona , Italy. 5. e ARC Center of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Department of Cognitive Science , Macquarie University , Sydney , Australia. 6. f Center for Language and Cognition (CLCG) , University of Groningen , Groningen , The Netherlands. 7. g Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC) , University of Trento , Trento , Italy.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The relationship between spontaneous speech and formal language testing in people with brain tumors (gliomas) has been rarely studied. In clinical practice, formal testing is typically used, while spontaneous speech is less often evaluated quantitatively. However, spontaneous speech is quicker to sample and may be less prone to test/retest effects, making it a potential candidate for assessing language impairments when there is restricted time or when the patient is unable to undertake prolonged testing. AIM: To assess whether quantitative spontaneous speech analysis and formal testing detect comparable language impairments in people with gliomas. Specifically, we addressed (a) whether both measures detected comparable language impairments in our patient sample; and (b) which language levels, assessment times, and spontaneous speech variables were more often impaired in this subject group. METHOD: Five people with left perisylvian gliomas performed a spontaneous speech task and a formal language assessment. Tests were administered before surgery, within a week after surgery, and seven months after surgery. Performance on spontaneous speech was compared with that of 15 healthy speakers. RESULTS: Language impairments were detected more often with both measures than with either measure independently. Lexical-semantic impairments were more common than phonological and grammatical impairments, and performance was equally impaired across assessment time points. Incomplete sentences and phonological paraphasias were the most common error types. CONCLUSIONS: In our sample both spontaneous speech analysis and formal testing detected comparable language impairments. Currently, we suggest that formal testing remains overall the better option, except for cases in which there are restrictions on testing time or the patient is too tired to undergo formal testing. In these cases, spontaneous speech may provide a viable alternative, particularly if automated analysis of spontaneous speech becomes more readily available in the future. These results await replication in a bigger sample and/or other populations.
BACKGROUND: The relationship between spontaneous speech and formal language testing in people with brain tumors (gliomas) has been rarely studied. In clinical practice, formal testing is typically used, while spontaneous speech is less often evaluated quantitatively. However, spontaneous speech is quicker to sample and may be less prone to test/retest effects, making it a potential candidate for assessing language impairments when there is restricted time or when the patient is unable to undertake prolonged testing. AIM: To assess whether quantitative spontaneous speech analysis and formal testing detect comparable language impairments in people with gliomas. Specifically, we addressed (a) whether both measures detected comparable language impairments in our patient sample; and (b) which language levels, assessment times, and spontaneous speech variables were more often impaired in this subject group. METHOD: Five people with left perisylvian gliomas performed a spontaneous speech task and a formal language assessment. Tests were administered before surgery, within a week after surgery, and seven months after surgery. Performance on spontaneous speech was compared with that of 15 healthy speakers. RESULTS:Language impairments were detected more often with both measures than with either measure independently. Lexical-semantic impairments were more common than phonological and grammatical impairments, and performance was equally impaired across assessment time points. Incomplete sentences and phonological paraphasias were the most common error types. CONCLUSIONS: In our sample both spontaneous speech analysis and formal testing detected comparable language impairments. Currently, we suggest that formal testing remains overall the better option, except for cases in which there are restrictions on testing time or the patient is too tired to undergo formal testing. In these cases, spontaneous speech may provide a viable alternative, particularly if automated analysis of spontaneous speech becomes more readily available in the future. These results await replication in a bigger sample and/or other populations.
Entities:
Keywords:
Aphasia; brain tumor; glioma; language assessment; spontaneous speech
Authors: William Jarrold; Adria Rofes; Stephen Wilson; Peter Pressman; Edward Stabler; Marilu Gorno-Tempini Journal: Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc Date: 2020-07