title: Suppression and narrative time shifts in adults with right-hemisphere brain damage.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examined the functioning of a central comprehension mechanism, suppression, in adults with right-hemisphere damage (RHD) while they processed narratives that cued a shift in time frame. In normal language comprehension, mental activation of concepts from a prior time frame is suppressed. The (re)activation of information following a time frame shift was also assessed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty adults (12 RHD; 8 non brain-damaged) completed a speeded word recognition task while listening to narratives in 2 conditions: shift ("an hour later") and no shift ("a moment later").
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no group difference in suppression for response time proportion data (shift/no shift), but cluster analyses identified a suppression deficit in 8 of the adults with RHD. There was overlap in suppression function at the narrative and lexical levels. The group with RHD was significantly delayed in mentally (re)activating new information after a time shift cue.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results underscore the generality of suppression functioning in adults with RHD. As such, treatment for a suppression deficit at one level may generalize to another level. An apparent independence of suppression and activation deficits suggests that each may need separate treatment. A better understanding of the nature and boundary conditions of suppression and activation deficits should better inform clinical decisions.
authors.affiliation: University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA. scharpvl@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Victoria L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Scharp
authors.forename: Connie A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Tompkins
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008037:Linguistics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D033262:Narration; D013067:Speech Perception / Q000502:physiology; D020521:Stroke / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013998:Time Perception / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: aging; cognition; language; stroke