Shawn L. Nissen

<b>Purpose:</b> This study aimed to (a) compare physiological arousal and attentiveness during a confrontational naming task between participants with aphasia and a control group across four conditions that varied according to emotionality of presented stimuli and (b) explore relationships among physiological arousal, attentiveness, perceived arousal, and naming performance. We hypothesized that participants with aphasia would show lower levels of arousal and attentiveness than control participants and that emotional conditions would lead to increased physiological arousal and attentiveness.<br><b>Method:</b> Eight participants with aphasia and 15 control participants completed a confrontational naming task under positive, negative, and neutral conditions and rated their perceived arousal after each. Electrophysiological recordings were taken during the entire experiment to obtain measures of heart rate (HR), HR variability, and skin conductance (SC). Videos of confrontational naming trials were rated based on visual signs of participant attentiveness during each trial.<br><b>Results: </b>Statistically significant group differences were found for HR, SC, and attentiveness ratings, but no differences were found in these measures among conditions. Correlational analyses revealed statistically significant relationships between attentiveness and response time, HR, and naming accuracy. Significant correlations were also found for HR and naming accuracy as well as perceived arousal and naming accuracy.<br><b>Conclusions:</b> Findings suggest that decreased physiological arousal or attentiveness may contribute to naming deficits for people with aphasia (PWA). Assisting PWA to fully attend to and engage in therapy tasks may be important for accurate assessment of language functions and for achieving optimal benefit in treatment.

Objectives: This study examined voice, speech and laryngeal characteristics in Primary Sjgrens Syndrome (pSS).<br><br>Methods: Eleven patients (10 female, 1 male; mean age, 57 years; standard deviation, 14 years) from The University of Utah Division of Rheumatology provided connected speech and sustained vowel samples. Analyses included the Multi-Dimensional Voice Profile, the Analysis of Dysphonia in Speech and Voice, and dysphonia severity, speech clarity, and videolaryngostroboscopy ratings. <br><br>Results: Shimmer, amplitude perturbation quotient, and average fundamental frequency differed significantly from normative values (p<.01). Cepstral Spectral Index of Dysphonia values indicated mild-to-moderate dysphonia in connected speech (mean, 20.26; standard deviation, 8.36) and sustained vowels (mean, 16.91; standard deviation, 11.08). Ratings of dysphonia severity and speech clarity using 10 cm visual analog scales suggested mild-to-moderate dysphonia in connected speech (mean, 2.11; standard deviation, 1.72) and sustained vowels (mean, 3.13; standard deviation, 2.20) and mildly reduced speech clarity (mean, 1.46; standard deviation, 1.36). Videolaryngostroboscopic ratings indicated mild-to-moderate dryness and mild reductions in overall laryngeal function. Voice Handicap Index scores indicated mild-to-moderate voice symptoms (mean, 43; standard deviation, 23).<br><br>Conclusions: Individuals with pSS may experience dysphonia and articulatory imprecision, typically in the mild-to-moderate range. These findings have implications for diagnostic and referral practices in pSS.