Functional connectivity of the posterior cingulate cortex in autism spectrum disorder.

The purpose of this study was to assess the functional connectivity of the posterior cingulate cortex in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) brain scans of adolescents diagnosed with ASD and a neurotypical control group. The Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE) consortium was utilized to acquire data from the University of Michigan (145 subjects) and data from the New York University (183 subjects). The posterior cingulate cortex showed reduced connectivity with the anterior cingulate cortex for the ASD group compared to the control group. These two brain regions have previously both been linked to ASD symptomology. Specifically, the posterior cingulate cortex has been associated with behavioral control and executive functions, which appear to be responsible for the repetitive and restricted behaviors (RRB) in ASD. Our findings support previous data indicating a neurobiological basis of the disorder, and the specific functional connectivity changes involving the posterior cingulate cortex and anterior cingulate cortex may be a potential neurobiological biomarker for the observed RRBs in ASD.

Semantic Aspects of Verb Production in Various Discourse Tasks in People With Nonfluent Aphasia.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate how people with nonfluent aphasia produce semantically weighted verbs compared to people without aphasia, as well as how a discourse elicitation task affects verb production in people with nonfluent aphasia and people without aphasia. METHOD: This study included 30 people with nonfluent aphasia and 32 age-matched people without aphasia from AphasiaBank. Language samples of five different discourse tasks were obtained and coded for heavy, light, and be-copular verbs. The number of verbs per utterance and the proportion of heavy, light, and be-copular verbs were compared between groups and between tasks. RESULTS: People with nonfluent aphasia showed a similar proportion of heavy verbs but reduced verbs per utterance and proportion of light verbs compared to people without aphasia. With regard to discourse task effects, we found a trend for a higher proportion of heavy verbs in sequential picture descriptions, and a higher proportion of be-copular verbs and lower proportion of heavy verbs for a recount compared to other tasks in people without aphasia. The discourse task effects were minimally found in people with nonfluent aphasia. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that people with nonfluent aphasia present with relatively preserved heavy verb production but with impaired production of light verbs in discourse. In addition, it appears that discourse tasks do not significantly influence the type of verbs produced by people with nonfluent aphasia possibly due to the floor effects and wide range of individual variability. This study is a preliminary effort to evaluate methodological factors that impact verb production; future studies are needed to develop a framework for clinical decision making when selecting a discourse elicitation task for people with aphasia.

The Effects of Different Sources and Modalities of Stuttering Disclosure on Listeners' Perceptions of a Child Who Stutters.

INTRODUCTION: Research reveals the clinical efficacy of both verbal and written stuttering disclosure statements provided by a child who stutters (CWS) and his advocates (i.e., mother or teacher) [Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch. 2020 Jul;51(3):745-60 and Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch. 2021 Aug;52(4):1031-1048]. Although existing data reveal that both the source (i.e., self- vs. advocate disclosure) and modality (i.e., verbal or written) of stuttering disclosure yields significant improvements in the perceptions of speech skills and personality characteristics of CWS, there is a paucity of research directly comparing the modality (verbal vs. written) and source (self, mother, teacher) of disclosure statements. Accordingly, this study analyzes listeners' perceptions of a 12-year-old male CWS' speech skills and personal characteristics, as a function of both the source and modality of factual stuttering disclosure statements [Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch. 2020 Jul;51(3):745-60 and Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch. 2021 Aug;52(4):1031-1048]. METHODS: A total of 641 college-aged adults participated in this analysis; study participants reported their perceptions of speech skills and personality characteristics of a 12-year-old CWS as a function of stuttering disclosure. Participants were randomly assigned to view one video containing one of two disclosure modalities (verbal or written), one of three stuttering disclosure source conditions (self-disclosure, mother disclosure, and teacher disclosure), or a no-disclosure control condition. Participants in the control group viewed a brief video of a 12-year-old CWS reciting a short reading passage; participants in the experimental groups viewed their assigned disclosure statement followed by the same video used in the control condition. Immediately following the video, all participants completed a survey quantifying their perceptions of the CWSs relative to his speech skills and personal characteristics. RESULTS: Results reveal optimal results via verbal self-disclosure and verbal teacher disclosure. A limited number of nominally positive perceptual differences were noted within the written mother disclosure group, while written CWS self-disclosure yielded significantly negative perceptions of the CWS. Overall, verbal disclosures yield far more significant and desirable perceptions of CWS' speech skills and personal characteristics when compared to written stuttering disclosure. DISCUSSION: Results of this analysis reveal that verbal stuttering disclosure is significantly more effective in improving listeners' perceptions of a CWS, when compared to written stuttering disclosures. Despite the widespread adoption of written communication over digital media (e.g., email and text messages), these data support the notion that face-to-face or video verbal stuttering disclosure provides the most desirable perceptual benefits for CWS. Within verbal stuttering disclosure, verbal self-disclosure appears to be the single best overall disclosure methodology relative to clinical application.

Prevalence of hearing loss in college students: a meta-analysis.

Introduction: Hearing loss among college students, specifically noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), appears to be increasing. This may be particularly challenging for this population as college students are required to listen to lectures in classrooms that may have suboptimal listening environments. College-aged musicians are at a particularly high risk due to repeated and extended exposure to loud noise. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was (1) to examine the prevalence of hearing loss in college students and (2) to emphasize the importance of detecting hearing loss at 6,000 Hz. Methods: A meta-analysis was conducted using the PRISMA model. The literature search yielded 8 studies (1,950 subjects) that tested hearing loss using an audiogram and Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emissions (DPOAEs). All studies used audiologic tests to detect hearing loss among college students between the ages of 17-35 years. Results: Results indicate that the prevalence of hearing loss in college students is 19%. In addition, the prevalence of hearing loss at 6,000 Hz is 85% among student musicians. For this meta-analysis, slight sensorineural hearing loss, or thresholds greater than 20 dB bilaterally or unilaterally, qualified as hearing loss. Discussion: Decreased hearing at 6,000 Hz may lead to an individual's inability to hear important environmental factors and high frequency speech sounds. College students without full auditory function at this frequency may have difficulties performing in class based on decreased attention, comprehension, and memory. Although students may not realize the influence of their 6,000 Hz hearing loss or be unaware of its presence, it could significantly change their likelihood to succeed in college. Therefore, implementing a hearing conservation program may be advised for colleges and universities to help prevent hearing loss in students, particularly for collegiate musicians. In addition, it may be beneficial to screen hearing in college students at 6,000 Hz for better detection of hearing loss overall.

Hippocampal Functional Connectivity in Parkinson's Disease.

BACKGROUND: While the hippocampus is not part of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway, influence of Parkinson's disease (PD) on the hippocampus has been consistently implicated. However, it is not clear how the hippocampal changes contribute to the pathology of PD. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to elucidate the physiological changes of the hippocampus in its orchestration with the rest of the brain. METHODS: Using the resting-state fMRI data from Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI), functional connectivity of the hippocampus was analyzed in 93 individuals with PD and 18 individuals without PD. RESULTS: A whole brain voxel-wise analysis showed that the bilateral paracingulate gyri were less connected to the hippocampus in the PD group compared to the control group. The hippocampus-paracingulate dysconnectivity did not show association with cognitive indices. CONCLUSIONS: The hippocampus in PD shows dysconnectivity to the paracingulate gyri.

Disrupted functional connectivity of the primary auditory cortex in autism.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has been found to influence hearing and sensory integration, while brain functional connectivity in ASD has been repeatedly shown to be atypical. However, functional connectivity of the auditory cortex in ASD has not been well studied. In the current study, we used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data, provided by the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE), to examine functional connectivity of the primary auditory cortex in ASD. The study subjects included 68 individuals with ASD and 77 individuals without ASD. In the primary dataset, the ASD group showed lesser functional connectivity between the auditory cortex and four regions: the medial occipital cortex, primary motor cortex, insular cortex, and Wernicke's area. In the replication dataset (44 individuals with ASD and 39 individuals without ASD), reduced connectivity to the medial occipital cortex and primary motor cortex was replicated among these four regions, which have previously been shown to be influenced by ASD. Thus, the reduced functional connectivity to these indicated regions may partly explain deficient sensory integration associated with ASD.

The Effects of Written Stuttering Disclosure on the Perceptions of a Child Who Stutters.

Purpose This study measured between-groups differences in perceived speech skills and personality characteristics of a 12-year-old male child who stutters (CWS) as a function of a written factual stuttering disclosure statement, delivered by the CWS, his "mother," or his "teacher." Method Four hundred twenty-four college-age adults were assigned to one of four groups, including three experimental groups (i.e., written self-disclosure, mother-written disclosure, and teacher-written disclosure) and a control group (no written disclosure). Participants in the control conditions viewed a brief video of the CWS. In the experimental conditions, participants read a brief written disclosure statement for 30 s, followed by the same video used in the control condition. After viewing the video, all participants completed surveys relative to their perceptions of the CWS speech skills and personality characteristics. Results Results reveal that a written stuttering disclosure statement provided by the mother correlated with select significant desirable perceptual differences of the CWS, while a written disclosure statement provided by the CWS yielded insignificant or even undesirable perceptual differences of the CWS. Written stuttering disclosures provided by a "teacher" did not yield any significant between-groups differences in the perception of a CWS. Gender affiliation was found to be a source of covariance in a number of perceived speech skills and personality characteristics. Conclusions Written stuttering disclosure statements provided by the "mother" correlated with select favorable perceptual differences of speech skills and personal characteristics of a CWS. Clinically, the application of novel methods (written and oral disclosure statements) and sources (i.e., CWS advocates such as "mother" and "teacher") of stuttering disclosure statement can be integrated into a systematic therapeutic program, creating an innovative approach of scaffolding self-advocacy via stuttering disclosure in CWS. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.15505857.

Bilinguals who stutter: A cognitive perspective.

PURPOSE: Brain differences, both in structure and executive functioning, have been found in both developmental stuttering and bilingualism. However, the etiology of stuttering remains unknown. The early suggestion that stuttering is a result of brain dysfunction has since received support from various behavioral and neuroimaging studies that have revealed functional and structural brain changes in monolinguals who stutter (MWS). In addition, MWS appear to show deficits in executive control. However, there is a lack of data on bilinguals who stutter (BWS). This literature review is intended to provide an overview of both stuttering and bilingualism as well as synthesize areas of overlap among both lines of research and highlight knowledge gaps in the current literature. METHODS: A systematic literature review on both stuttering and bilingualism studies was conducted, searching for articles containing "stuttering" and/or "bilingualism" and either "brain", "executive functions", "executive control", "motor control", "cognitive reserve", or "brain reserve" in the PubMed database. Additional studies were found by examining the reference list of studies that met the inclusion criteria. RESULTS: A total of 148 references that met the criteria for inclusion in this paper were used in the review. A comparison of the impact of stuttering or bilingualism on the brain are discussed. CONCLUSION: Previous research examining a potential bilingual advantage for BWS is mixed. However, if such an advantage does exist, it appears to offset potential deficits in executive functioning that may be associated with stuttering.

Estimates of functional cerebral hemispheric differences in monolingual and bilingual people who stutter: dichotic listening paradigm.

Recent studies indicate functional cerebral hemispheric processing differences between monolinguals and bilinguals who stutter, as well as monolinguals and bilinguals who do not stutter. Eighty native German speakers, half of whom were also proficient speakers of English as a second language (L2), were assessed on a dichotic listening paradigm using CV syllables as stimuli. The participants were organised into four different groups according to speech status and language ability: 20 monolinguals who stutter, 20 bilinguals who stutter, 20 monolinguals who do not stutter, and 20 bilinguals who do not stutter. A right ear advantage (REA) was observed across all groups with no significant group differences in regard to hemispheric asymmetry. Although MWS (18 dB) and BWS (16 dB) crossed over to an LEA at an earlier point compared to the MWNS (5 dB) and BWNS (2 dB), the difference between groups was minor and not significant. Thus, a significant difference in REA resistance, as proposed by other researchers, was not reflected in the current study neither for people who stutter nor for bilinguals. In addition, no meaningful relationship was found between dichotic listening and stuttering severity, as well as the four language modalities (listening, speaking, reading, writing). Thus, we contend that neither stuttering nor bilingualism has any non-trivial effect on functional cerebral hemispheric differences in language processing in dichotic listening.

Visuospatial and Verbal Short-Term Memory Correlates of Vocabulary Ability in Preschool Children.

Background: Recent studies indicate that school-age children's patterns of performance on measures of verbal and visuospatial short-term memory (STM) and working memory (WM) differ across types of neurodevelopmental disorders. Because these disorders are often characterized by early language delay, administering STM and WM tests to toddlers could improve prediction of neurodevelopmental outcomes. Toddler-appropriate verbal, but not visuospatial, STM and WM tasks are available. A toddler-appropriate visuospatial STM test is introduced. Method: Tests of verbal STM, visuospatial STM, expressive vocabulary, and receptive vocabulary were administered to 92 English-speaking children aged 2-5 years. Results: Mean test scores did not differ for boys and girls. Visuospatial and verbal STM scores were not significantly correlated when age was partialed out. Age, visuospatial STM scores, and verbal STM scores accounted for unique variance in expressive (51%, 3%, and 4%, respectively) and receptive vocabulary scores (53%, 5%, and 2%, respectively) in multiple regression analyses. Conclusion: Replication studies, a fuller test battery comprising visuospatial and verbal STM and WM tests, and a general intelligence test are required before exploring the usefulness of these STM tests for predicting longitudinal outcomes. The lack of an association between the STM tests suggests that the instruments have face validity and test independent STM skills.

Estimates of functional cerebral hemispheric differences in monolingual and bilingual people who stutter: Dual-task paradigm.

The inter-relationship of stuttering and bilingualism to functional cerebral hemispheric processing was examined on a dual-task paradigm. Eighty native German (L1) speakers, half of whom were sequential bilinguals (L2 = English), were recruited. The participants (mean age = 38.9 years) were organised into four different groups according to speech status and language ability: 20 bilinguals who stutter (BWS), 20 monolinguals who stutter (MWS), 20 bilinguals who do not stutter (BWNS), and 20 monolinguals who do not stutter (MWNS). All participants completed a dual-task paradigm involving simultaneous speaking and finger tapping. No performance differences between BWS and BWNS were found. In contrast, MWS showed greater dual-task interference compared to BWS and MWNS, as well as greater right- than left-hand disruption. A prevailing finding was that bilingualism seems to offset deficits in executive functioning associated with stuttering. Cognitive reserve may have been reflected in the present study, resulting in a bilingual advantage.

Estimates of functional cerebral hemispheric differences in monolingual and bilingual people who stutter: Visual hemifield paradigm.

The relationship between stuttering and bilingualism to functional cerebral hemispheric processing was examined using a visual hemifield paradigm. Eighty native German speakers, half of whom were also proficient speakers of English as a second language (L2), were recruited. The participants were organised into four different groups according to speech status and language ability: 20 monolinguals who stutter, 20 bilinguals who stutter, 20 monolinguals who do not stutter, and 20 bilinguals who do not stutter. All participants completed a task involving selective identification of common objects simultaneously presented to both visual fields. Overall, an LVF advantage was observed across all groups with no significant group differences in regard to hemispheric asymmetry. However, both bilingual groups showed faster reaction times and fewer identification errors than the two monolingual groups. A prevailing finding was that bilingualism seems to offset deficits in executive functioning associated with stuttering. Hence, the results lend support to previous findings implicating the benefits of bilingualism.