Dataset Information

German Language Adaptation of the NAVS (NAVS-G) and of the NAT (NAT-G): Testing Grammar in Aphasia.

ABSTRACT: Grammar provides the framework for understanding and producing language. In aphasia, an acquired language disorder, grammatical deficits are diversified and widespread. However, the few assessments for testing grammar in the German language do not consider current linguistic, psycholinguistic, and functional imaging data, which have been shown to be crucial for effective treatment. This study developed German language versions of the Northwestern Assessment of Verbs and Sentences (NAVS-G) and the Northwestern Anagram Test (NAT-G) to examine comprehension and production of verbs, controlling for the number and optionality of verb arguments, and sentences with increasing syntactic complexity. The NAVS-G and NAT-G were tested in 27 healthy participants, 15 right hemispheric stroke patients without aphasia, and 15 stroke patients with mild to residual aphasia. Participants without aphasia showed near-perfect performance, with the exception of (object) relative sentences, where accuracy was associated with educational level. In each patient with aphasia, deficits in more than one subtest were observed. The within and between population-groups logistic mixed regression analyses identified significant impairments in processing syntactic complexity at the verb and sentence levels. These findings indicate that the NAVS-G and NAT-G have potential for testing grammatical competence in (German) stroke patients.

SUBMITTER: Ditges R

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8069474 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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German Language Adaptation of the NAVS (NAVS-G) and of the NAT (NAT-G): Testing Grammar in Aphasia.

Ditges Ruth R Barbieri Elena E Thompson Cynthia K CK Weintraub Sandra S Weiller Cornelius C Mesulam Marek-Marsel MM Kümmerer Dorothee D Schröter Nils N Musso Mariacristina M

Brain sciences 20210408 4

Grammar provides the framework for understanding and producing language. In aphasia, an acquired language disorder, grammatical deficits are diversified and widespread. However, the few assessments for testing grammar in the German language do not consider current linguistic, psycholinguistic, and functional imaging data, which have been shown to be crucial for effective treatment. This study developed German language versions of the Northwestern Assessment of Verbs and Sentences (NAVS-G) and th ...[more]

PMID: 33918022

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Project description:BackgroundCluster headache (CH) can lead to high disability and reduced quality of life (QoL). QoL should be assessed as an important outcome both in research and in clinical care. The 28-item Cluster Headache Quality of Life Scale (CH-QoL) is a valid self-report questionnaire to assess disease-specific QoL. A German version is lacking. This study aims to develop a German-language version and to determine its psychometric properties.MethodsThe CH-QoL was translated into German by two headache experts and blindly back-translated by two professional translators. Additionally, the CH-QoL was tested for comprehensibility by nine persons with CH. In this multi-stage process, linguistic discrepancies were repeatedly discussed in an expert panel and appropriate modifications were conducted to optimize the translation. A cross-sectional online survey, comprising the CH-QoL and further self-report questionnaires such as the Cluster Headache Scales (CHS), yielded a sample of N = 106 persons with CH (53.8% female, M = 45.5 [SD = 11.8] years, 48.1% episodic CH, 51.9% chronic CH, 79.2% currently having recurring CH attacks).ResultsExploratory factor analysis revealed two clearly interpretable factors ("restriction of activities of daily living", and "impact on mood and interpersonal relationships"), which is in discrepancy to the four factors of the original English version. The model fit was good, with χ2(323) = 590.74, p < .001, RMSEA = 0.088, SRMR = 0.053, TLI = 0.857. Reliability was very good (McDonald's omega ω = 0.97, Subscale/Factor 1: ω = 0.96, Subscale/Factor 2: ω = 0.92). Correlational analyses (correlations with related questionnaires as well as with clinical parameters) confirmed convergent validity.ConclusionsSince the German version of the CH-QoL has very good psychometric properties, it is suitable for the assessment of disease-specific QoL in people with CH in German-speaking countries.Trial registrationThis study is registered with the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS-ID: DRKS00028475, registration date 03 March 2022).

Project description:IntroductionBrain surgery in the language dominant hemisphere remains challenging due to unintended post-surgical language deficits, despite using pre-surgical functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) and intraoperative cortical stimulation. Moreover, patients are often recommended not to undergo surgery if the accompanying risk to language appears to be too high. While standard fMRI language mapping protocols may have relatively good predictive value at the group level, they remain sub-optimal on an individual level. The standard tests used typically assess lexico-semantic aspects of language, and they do not accurately reflect the complexity of language either in comprehension or production at the sentence level. Among patients who had left hemisphere language dominance we assessed which tests are best at activating language areas in the brain.MethodWe compared grammar tests (items testing word order in actives and passives, wh-subject and object questions, relativized subject and object clauses and past tense marking) with standard tests (object naming, auditory and visual responsive naming), using pre-operative fMRI. Twenty-five surgical candidates (13 females) participated in this study. Sixteen patients presented with a brain tumor, and nine with epilepsy. All participants underwent two pre-operative fMRI protocols: one including CYCLE-N grammar tests (items testing word order in actives and passives, wh-subject and object questions, relativized subject and object clauses and past tense marking); and a second one with standard fMRI tests (object naming, auditory and visual responsive naming). fMRI activations during performance in both protocols were compared at the group level, as well as in individual candidates.ResultsThe grammar tests generated more volume of activation in the left hemisphere (left/right angular gyrus, right anterior/posterior superior temporal gyrus) and identified additional language regions not shown by the standard tests (e.g., left anterior/posterior supramarginal gyrus). The standard tests produced more activation in left BA 47. Ten participants had more robust activations in the left hemisphere in the grammar tests and two in the standard tests. The grammar tests also elicited substantial activations in the right hemisphere and thus turned out to be superior at identifying both right and left hemisphere contribution to language processing.ConclusionThe grammar tests may be an important addition to the standard pre-operative fMRI testing.

Dataset Information

German Language Adaptation of the NAVS (NAVS-G) and of the NAT (NAT-G): Testing Grammar in Aphasia.

Publications

German Language Adaptation of the NAVS (NAVS-G) and of the NAT (NAT-G): Testing Grammar in Aphasia.

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