1. Acknowledgments Research Mentor: Catherine Off, Ph.D. Graduate Student Mentor: Jenna Griffin Neuroplasticity, Dosage, and Repetition Priming Effects in Individuals with Stroke-Induced Aphasia Literature Cited Varley, R. (2011). Rethinking aphasia therapy: A neuroscience perspective. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 13(1), 11-20. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. (2008). Aphasia. Retrieved from http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/voice/pages/aphasia.aspx Molly Jones, CSD, University of Montana; Jesse Engen, CSD, University of Montana Participants Right-handed adults with aphasia and anomia as a result of stroke. Training Sessions Up to 15 sessions, 2-3x/week Training Probes Completed at the end of each week Training Session Design 40 Trained Items; 20 1-Trial/Session; 20 4-Trials/Session Balanced for Syllable Length and Word Frequency Introduction Aphasia is an impairment of the language center of the brain. Approximately 80,000 individuals acquire aphasia from stroke each year in the U.S.; approximately one million people in the U.S. currently have aphasia. The most frequently occurring symptom of aphasia is anomia, a difficulty accessing and retrieving spoken words that impacts successful communication. One way to treat this impairment is through repetitive and intense exposure and practice of picture naming. Our study seeks to compare low-dose and high-dose exposure and repetition of spoken words during a naming protocol. The purpose of this project is to evaluate the training effects within and across sessions and to evaluate inter- rater reliability across sessions. Discussion The increased accuracy across training sessions with and without cueing provide evidence that intensive therapy is an effective form of treatment for aphasia patients. For 2/3 of the participants 1 syllable words were easier to recall than 2 syllable words and for 3/3 participants high frequency words were easier to recall than low frequency. This information can provide speech therapists with the most efficient words to begin intensive aphasia therapy. The increase in word retrieval with 4 repetitions vs. 1 repetitions in 2/3 participants is an indication that patients will benefits from having multiple opportunities to produce each word rather than a single opportunity. Because this study used both qualitative and quantitative observations of human behavior, there was a possibility for human error or bias. To combat this human error, reliability between evaluators was used. The high reliability gives evidence towards the credibility of the treatment. The results from this study will inform optimal treatment delivery techniques for speech-language pathologists working with persons with aphasia. Methods To assess within-session variability and small, incremental daily improvements: Each production made by the participant during training was analyzed and responses were entered into an excel spreadsheet. Independent variables included the frequency that the word exists in American English, syllable length, and the number of repetitions during each training session. Data was then graphed for comparison across training sessions as well as across participants. To evaluate reliability: The video recordings of testing before, during, and after training sessions were coded as correct or incorrect by a reliability judge. This data was then compared to the original data documented by the research examiner. Results Within Session Variability Results Evaluation of Reliability Error Description Error CodeExample I. Accurate A. Target only B. Filler + targetum, uh, a, the C. Multiple correct productions"mattress mattresses" D. Multiple productions the first correct"bra bravere" II. Errored A. No response or "I don't know" "I'm sorry" B. Mixed i. Phonological + semantic/dan/ for /kæt/ ii. Phonological + unrelated word/flon/ for /kæt/ C. Semantic i. Unrelated word"shoe" for "cat" ii. Supraordinate word"mammal" for "cat" iii. Coordinate word"dog" for "cat" iv. Subordinate word"siamese" for "cat" v. Related adjective"white" for "milk" vi. Related verb"drink" for "milk" vii. Unrelated phrase"See the boy" for "cat" D. PerseverationProduces any previously produced item E. Phonological i. Omission/æt/ for /kæt/ ii. Substitution /k ɪ t/ for /kæt/ iii. Addition/kræt/ for /kæt/ iv. Nonword F. Picture description"a woman washing dishes" G. Neologism i. Neologistic word"shumpter" Cohen’s Kappa: 0.92