Brain Processing of Language Meanings

NCT00005004 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: 00009600-CC-0096
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 500
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This research trial will study discourse processing-that is, how the brain processes the meaning of language. It will examine, for example, how words and sentences are interpreted in cases where more than one meaning is possible. The study will include two parts:

1. 1.An investigation of the role of the prefrontal cortex of the brain in discourse processing will compare test performance of patients with prefrontal cortex damage with that of healthy age-matched normal volunteers.
2. 2.An investigation of the role of aging in discourse processing will compare test performance of young healthy subjects (18 to 40 years old) with older healthy subjects (41 to 80 years old).

Conditions

Central Nervous System Disease; Cerebrovascular Accident; Craniocerebral Trauma; Head Injury; Healthy; Stroke

Keywords

Cognitive Processes; Inferential Ambiguities; Language Processes; Lexical Ambiguities; Suppression Mechanism; Discourse Processes; Discourse Production Analysis; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Prefrontal Cortex Function; Aging Effects; Garden Path Phenomena; Text Integration

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• All subjects will be between the ages of 18-80, fluent English speakers, premorbidly right handed, and literate for stimulus sentences that are written at a minimum of a 4th grade reading level. In addition, all subjects will have a minimum high school or GED education, sufficient hearing acuity (aided or unaided) and auditory comprehension to follow task instructions, adequate visual acuity (aided or unaided) to read at least 14 pt. print on a computer screen, and adequate dexterity to press keyboard keys in response to stimuli.
• For prefrontal BD subjects, only adult patients with focal damage confined to the prefrontal lateral or orbitomedial areas of either or both hemispheres will be included in the study. Cortical damage will be determined on the bases of neurological and neuropsychological examinations and confirmed by MRI or CT studies. All patients with stroke and penetrating head injury will be tested at least 3 months post-onset of neurological damage to ensure a stable medical condition. All patients with resected brain tumor will have completed radiation therapy and regimen of steroid medication. Dates and course of radiation therapy will be documented.
• It should be emphasized that the BD subjects to be included on this protocol will have selective deficits (on the basis of neuropsychological test findings and screening to determine candidacy) and will be able to understand the purpose of our studies, the instructions for our tasks, and response demands. Patients who cannot understand the purpose of our studies, or the instructions or response demands of the tasks would not meet entry criteria. Only those subjects who pass the screening will be accepted on the protocol.

You may not qualify if:

• Healthy subjects will have no history of mental, cognitive or other neurological deficits.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC): lead

Study Sites (1)

Warren G. Magnuson Clinical Center (CC)

Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States

Location

Related Publications (3)

• Faust ME, Gernsbacher MA. Cerebral mechanisms for suppression of inappropriate information during sentence comprehension. Brain Lang. 1996 May;53(2):234-59. doi: 10.1006/brln.1996.0046.

  PMID: 8726535 BACKGROUND

• Mani K, Johnson-Laird PN. The mental representation of spatial descriptions. Mem Cognit. 1982 Mar;10(2):181-7. doi: 10.3758/bf03209220. No abstract available.

  PMID: 7087782 BACKGROUND

• Rehak A, Kaplan JA, Weylman ST, Kelly B, Brownell HH, Gardner H. Story processing in right-hemisphere brain-damaged patients. Brain Lang. 1992 Apr;42(3):320-36. doi: 10.1016/0093-934x(92)90104-m.

  PMID: 1606490 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Central Nervous System Diseases; Stroke; Craniocerebral Trauma

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Nervous System Diseases; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Brain Diseases; Vascular Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases; Trauma, Nervous System; Wounds and Injuries

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Sponsor Type: NIH

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 23, 2000
• First Posted: March 24, 2000
• Study Start: March 1, 2000
• Study Completion: March 1, 2005
• Last Updated: March 4, 2008

Record last verified: 2005-03

Locations

US (1)