The relative role of semantic and sublexical processes in reading, writing and repetition: evidence from a follow-up study.
The evolution in time of a number of language tasks in a longitudinal study of a 61-year-old aphasic patient is described. The patient, examined twice, in a 10 month follow-up, showed a dissociation between preserved reading with respect to impaired other modalities as well as a qualitative change in errors' type. A reduction of neologisms and phonologically based errors, with a concurrent increase of semantic paraphasias in naming and repetition, as well as an amelioration in reading, with a reduction of stress assignment errors was exhibited at the follow-up. The results are interpreted by postulating an improved performance of the phonological output processes, allowing non-phonologically based errors to emerge, thus revealing the underlying semantic damage. The Summation Hypothesis [14] seems a general framework better interpreting these findings, more than highly specialized production models, which could explain separately only different modalities' impairments.
Mattioli
Flavia
F
Neuropsychological Unit, Spedali Civili, Brescia, Italy. flaviacaterina.mattioli@gmail.com
D001037:Aphasia / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology*; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology; D007807:Language Tests; D008037:Linguistics; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008606:Mental Processes; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010700:Phonetics; D011932:Reading; D012660:Semantics; D013061:Speech Acoustics; D013068:Speech Production Measurement; D014956:Writing