Charlotta Saldert
Göteborgs universitet
Sweden
Finding the right words in neurogenic communication disorders: Naming of objects and actions, communicative strategies in conversation and effects of training.
Forte, the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare
329,706
01/01/2016
3
Every year thousands of persons suffer from brain damage resulting in anomia, that is, word finding difficulties affecting their ability to talk to other people. Anomia may be a result of stroke or of progressive neurological diseases such as Parkinsons disease or multiple sclerosis (MS). Word retrieval is dependent on a complex system of different neural networks and to name objects and activities can be affected to different degrees. The present project investigates the naming ability in altogether 65 persons that has anomia related to stroke or to Parkinsons disease or MS. Furthermore, the communicative strategies and resources used by conversation partners in everyday conversational interaction and in care situations, affected by anomia are studied. Finally, the project includes a study of the effectiveness of a word finding training program based on stimulation of semantic and phonological networks in the brain, involved in the production of words.
There is a lack of research on effects on communication from anomia in Parkinsons disease and MS and there is no research on anomia that investigates both object and action naming using a material adapted to the Swedish language. In the project quantitative and qualitative methods are used to explore and describe how persons with different neurogenic communication disorders can use different resources and communicative strategies to express themselves.