Determining the Association between Language and Cognitive Tests in Poststroke Aphasia.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Speech-Language Pathology

Background:

• Individuals with aphasia are frequently excluded from cognitive research due to language demands of standard assessments.
• Post-stroke cognitive evaluation is challenging because many tests rely heavily on language abilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between cognitive test performance and language abilities (comprehension, naming) in post-stroke aphasia.
• To determine the relationship between language performance and a real-world cognitive measure (Kettle Test).
• To assess the feasibility of administering cognitive tests to individuals with aphasia.

Main Methods:

• Thirty-six participants with post-stroke aphasia and 32 controls completed pen-and-paper cognitive tests.
• Auditory comprehension and naming were assessed using the Comprehensive Aphasia Test and Boston Naming Test, respectively.
• Multiple linear regressions analyzed the relationship between language and cognitive performance; feasibility was gauged by missing data.

Main Results:

• Animal fluency and Hopkins Verbal Learning Test (recognition discrimination index) showed the highest variance explained by auditory comprehension and naming (R² 0.65–0.78).
• Most cognitive tests were significantly associated with language abilities, excluding the Star Cancellation Test and Kettle Test.
• Thirty-three percent of participants with aphasia could not complete all cognitive tests, indicating feasibility challenges.

Conclusions:

• Language and non-linguistic cognitive processes are interconnected, even in non-verbal tests.
• Pen-and-paper cognitive tests significantly correlate with language performance in aphasia, but not real-life measures.
• Adapting test instructions, stimuli, and responses is crucial for accurately assessing non-linguistic cognition in individuals with aphasia.