Letter-By-Letter Reading: Natural Recovery and Response to Treatment

The present investigation provides a longitudinal study of an individual (RB) with acquired alexia following left posterior cerebral artery stroke. At initial testing, RB exhibited acquired alexia characterized by letter-by-letter (LBL) reading, mild anomic aphasia, and acquired agraphia. Repeated measures of reading accuracy and rate were collected for single words and text over the course of one year, along with probes of naming and spelling abilities. Improvements associated with natural recovery (i.e., without treatment) were documented up to the fourth month post onset, when text reading appeared to be relatively stable. Multiple oral reading (MOR) treatment was initiated at 22 weeks post-stroke, and additional improvements in reading rate and accuracy for text were documented that were greater than those expected on the basis of spontaneous recovery alone. Over the course of one year, reading reaction times for single words improved, and the word-length effect that is the hallmark of LBL reading diminished. RB's response to treatment supports the therapeutic value of MOR treatment to in LBL readers. His residual impairment of reading and spelling one-year post stroke raised the question as to whether further progress was impeded by degraded orthographic knowledge

Auditory Masking Effects on Lingual Vibrotactile Thresholds as a Function of Age

Auditory masking effects on lingual vibrotactile thresholds were examined across three groups of 10 subjects each. The first group included children 13 yr. of age or younger, the second group young college age adults, and the third group elderly individuals 66 yr. of age or older. Lingual vibrotactile thresholds were obtained from each group at a frequency of 250 Hz, under experimental conditions of no-masking, narrow-band masking, and wide-band masking. Results showed statistically significant threshold differences between the elderly group and the other two groups for all three experimental conditions. A difference was also detected between experimental conditions when an over-all statistical analysis was performed, but this difference disappeared under more stringent post hoc examination. Results are discussed with respect to current literature on aging and appropriate simplified procedures are recommended for future lingual vibrotactile threshold testing. </jats:p

Changes in Lingual Sensitivity as a Function of Age and Stimulus Exposure Time

Effects of duration of stimulus exposure on lingual vibrotactile thresholds were examined across three groups of 10 subjects each ( n = 30). Subjects were grouped according to age (child group, mean age = 10.1 yr.; young adult group, mean age = 21.9 yr.; elderly group, mean age = 76.0 yr.). Lingual vibrotactile threshold measurements were obtained for all subjects under 5 conditions of exposure (1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 sec.). Results showed statistically significant differences in threshold among all three age groups. As age increased, thresholds of lingual sensitivity increased (became poorer). Stimulus duration also created significant differences in threshold for all age groups. As stimulus duration increased, thresholds of lingual sensitivity decreased (became better). The children appeared to be the most stable across conditions whereas the elderly group appeared to be the most affected by stimulus duration. </jats:p

Letter-By-Letter Reading: Natural Recovery and Response to Treatment

The present investigation provides a longitudinal study of an individual (RB) with acquired alexia following left posterior cerebral artery stroke. At initial testing, RB exhibited acquired alexia characterized by letter-by-letter (LBL) reading, mild anomic aphasia, and acquired agraphia. Repeated measures of reading accuracy and rate were collected for single words and text over the course of one year, along with probes of naming and spelling abilities. Improvements associated with natural recovery (i.e., without treatment) were documented up to the fourth month post onset, when text reading appeared to be relatively stable. Multiple oral reading (MOR) treatment was initiated at 22 weeks post-stroke, and additional improvements in reading rate and accuracy for text were documented that were greater than those expected on the basis of spontaneous recovery alone. Over the course of one year, reading reaction times for single words improved, and the word-length effect that is the hallmark of LBL reading diminished. RB's response to treatment supports the therapeutic value of MOR treatment to in LBL readers. His residual impairment of reading and spelling one-year post stroke raised the question as to whether further progress was impeded by degraded orthographic knowledge

Respiratory muscle training (RMT) in late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD): Effects of training and detraining.

BackgroundDetermine the effects of a 12-week respiratory muscle training (RMT) program in late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD).MethodsWe investigated the effects of 12-weeks of RMT followed by 3-months detraining using a single-subject A-B-A experimental design replicated across 8 adults with LOPD. To assess maximal volitional respiratory strength, our primary outcomes were maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP) and maximum expiratory pressure (MEP). Effect sizes for changes in MIP and MEP were determined using Cohen's d statistic. Exploratory outcomes targeted motor function, and peak cough flow (PCF) was measured in the last 5 subjects.ResultsFrom pretest to posttest, all 8 subjects exhibited increases in MIP, and 7 of 8 showed increases in MEP. Effect size data reveal the magnitude of increases in MIP to be large in 4 (d≥1.0) and very large in 4 (d≥2.0), and effect sizes for increases in MEP were large in 1 (d≥1.0) and very large in 6 (d≥2.0). Across participants, pretest to posttest MIP and MEP increased by a mean of 19.6% (sd=9.9) and 16.1% (sd=17.3), respectively. Respiratory strength increases, particularly for the inspiratory muscles, were generally durable to 3-months detraining.ConclusionsThese data suggest our 12-week RMT program results in large to very large increases in inspiratory and expiratory muscle strength in adults with LOPD. Additionally, increases in respiratory strength appeared to be relatively durable following 3-months detraining. Although additional research is needed, RMT appears to offer promise as an adjunctive treatment for respiratory weakness in LOPD