Dissociation between nonpropositional and propositional speech: a single case study

In the aphasic literature, it is not rare to find patients with a clear dissociation between preserved automatic speech in the context of very severe compromised linguistic abilities. We present the case of a patient, who, although almost recovered from her aphasia, showed a selective inability to produce any kind of overlearned sequences. Her cognitive profile was intact except for her short-term memory span. Results are discussed in terms of a possible relation between an impairment in phonological processes, mediated by the short-term memory store, and automatic speech production.