School of Communication

Sentence processing and production

This work examines normal and disordered processing and production of (primarily) complex sentences, such as “filler-gap” structures with syntactic movement. Using an eye-tracking while listening paradigm to track on-line sentence processing patterns, we have found that both normal and aphasic participants show evidence of on-line gap filling (see Dickey, Choy, & Thompson, 2007, for example). Work in progress examines processing of different classes of movement dependencies.

We also study recovery of language in (primarily) agrammatic aphasia. Findings have shown that recovery follows a “path of linguistic knowledge”: (a) sentences with shared linguistic properties recover together, and (b) training more complex structures (using Treatment of Underlying Forms (TUF)) results in recovery of less complex, linguistically related, structures (the Complexity Account of Treatment Efficacy (CATE) (Thompson et al., 2003). Work in progress is concerned with the neurobiology of improved language using this approach.

Sentactics® is a recently developed computer-automated version of TUF. Click for sample Sentactics Beta version, developed in collaboration with Dr. Ron Cole at The Center for Spoken Language Research (CSLR) at the University of Colorado. Studies examining its effects are underway.

Papers

Dickey, M.W., & Thompson, C. K. (2007). The relation between syntactic and morphological recovery in agrammatic aphasia: A case study. Aphasiology, 21 (6-8), 604-616.
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Thompson, C. K., & Shapiro, L. P. (2007). Complexity in Treatment of Syntactic Deficits. American Journal of speech and Language Pathology, 16, 30-42.
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Dickey, M.W., Choy, J., & Thompson, C. K. (2007). Real-time comprehension of wh-movement in aphasia: Evidence from eyetracking while listening. Brain and Language, 100, 1-22.
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Thompson, C. K. (2005). Plasticity of language networks. In M. Baudry, X. Bi, and S. S. Schrieber (Eds.). Synaptic plasticity: Basic mechanisms to clinical applications (pp. 343-355). New York: Marce Dekker, Inc.
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Thompson, C. K., & Shapiro, L. P. (2005). Treating agrammatic aphasia within a linguistic framework: Treatment of Underlying Forms. Aphasiology, 1021-1036.
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Dickey, M.W. & Thompson, C.K. (2004). The resolution and recovery of filler-gap dependencies in aphasia: Evidence from on-line anomaly detection. Brain and Language, 88, 108-127.
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Thompson, C. K, Shapiro, L., Kiran, S., & Sobecks, J. (2003). The role of syntactic complexity in treatment of sentence deficits in agrammatic aphasia: The complexity account of treatment efficacy (CATE). Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 46, 591-607.
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Faroqi-Shah, Y., & Thompson, C. K. (2003). Effect of lexical cues on production of active and passive sentences in Broca's and Wernicke's aphasia. Brain and Language, 85, 409-426.
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Jacobs, B., & Thompson, C. K. (2000). Cross-modal generalization effects of training noncanonical sentence comprehension and production in agrammatic aphasia. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 43, 5-20.
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Thompson, C. K., Tait, M.E., & Ballard, K.J., & Fix, S. (1999). Agrammatic aphasic subjects' comprehension of subject and object extracted wh-questions. Brain and Language, 67, 169-187.
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Ballard, K. J., & Thompson, C. K. (1999). Treatment and generalization of complex sentence structures in agrammatism. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 42, 690-707.
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Thompson, C.K., Ballard, K.J., & Shapiro, L.P. (1998). The role of syntactic complexity in training wh-movement structures in agrammatic aphasia: Optimal order for promoting generalization. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 4, 661-674.
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Thompson, C.K., Shapiro, L.P., Ballard, K., Jacobs, B., Schneider, S. & Tait, M.E. (1997). Training and generalized production of wh- and NP-movement structures in agrammatic speakers. Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research, 40, 228-244.
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Thompson, C.K., Shapiro, L.P., Tait, M.E., Jacobs, B., & Scheider, S.S. (1996). Training wh-question production in agrammatic aphasia: Analysis of argument and adjunct movement. Brain and Language, 52, 175-228.
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Thompson, C.K., & Shapiro, L.P. (1995). Training sentence production in agrammatism: Implications for normal and disordered language. Brain and Language, 50, 201-224.
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Verb processing and production

In this work we investigate comprehension and production in individuals with aphasia and other neurological impairments. In addition, production of various verb types (based on argument structure properties) is examined in both single word and sentence production tasks. Results have shown not only that verbs may be selectively impaired in aphasia, but also that selective impairments across types of verbs is common. Verbs with a greater (Compared to nouns, for example) complexity in terms of both number and type of participant roles are more difficult to produce than verbs with less complex argument structure. Treatment studies examining the functional relation between verbs across types and the neural mechanisms of verb and verb argument structure processing and production are presently being conducted.

Papers

Thompson C. K., Bonakdarpour, B., Fix, S. C., Blumenfeld, H. D., Parrish, T. B.,Gitelman, D. R., & Mesulam, M. -M. (2007). Neural correlates of verb argument structure processing. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 19, 1753-1767.
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Kim, M., & Thompson, C.K. (2004). Verb deficits in Alzheimer's disease and agrammatism: Implications for lexical organization. Brain and Language, 88, 1-20.
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Lee, M., & Thompson, C.K. (2004). Agrammatic aphasic production and comprehension of unaccusative verbs in sentence contexts. Journal of Neurolinguistics, 17, 315-330.
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Thompson, C.K. (2003). Unaccusative verb production in agrammatic aphasia: The argument structure complexity hypothesis. Journal of Neurolinguistics, 16, 151-167.
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Bastiaanse, R., & Thompson, C.K. (2003). Verb and auxiliary movement in agrammatic Broca's aphasia. Brain and Language, 84, 286-305.
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Bastiaanse, R., Rispens, J., Ruigenduk, E., Rabadan, O.J., & Thompson, C. K. (2002). Verbs: Some properties and their consequences for agrammatic Broca's aphasia. Journal of Neurolinguistics, 15, 239-264.
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Kim, M., & Thompson, C. K. (2000). Patterns of comprehension and production of nouns and verbs in agrammatism: Implications for lexical organization. Brain and Language, 74, 1-25.
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Thompson, C.K., Lange, K.L., Schneider, S.L., & Shapiro, L.P. (1997). Agrammatic and non-brain-damaged subjects' verb and verb argument production in constrained elicitation conditions. Aphasiology, 11, 473-490.
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Thompson, C.K., Shapiro, L.P., Li, L., & Schendel, L. (1995). Analysis of verbs and verb argument structure: A method for quantification of aphasic language production. Clinical Aphasiology, 23, 121-140.
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fMRI investigations of normal and disordered language processing and production; the neurobiology of language recovery in aphasia

This work uses functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine brain sites involved in aspects of word and sentence processing in healthy normals and participants with aphasia. We also examine the neurobiology of language recovery in aphasia. Studies are conducted in collaboration with the Cognitive Brain Mapping Group at Northwestern University.

Papers

Thompson, C. K., Bonakdarpour, B., Fix, S. C., Blumenfeld, H. D., Parrish, T. B., Gitelman, D. R., & Mesulam, M.-M. (2007). Neural correlates of verb argument structure processing. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 19, 1753-1767.
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Bonakdarpour, B., Parrish, T., & Thompson, C.K. (2007). Hemodynamic response changes in patients with stroke-induced aphasia: Implications for fMRI data analysis. NeuroImage, 36, 322-331.
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Thompson, C. K. (2005) Plasticity of language networks. In M. Baudry, X. Bi, and S. S. Schrieber (Eds.). Syntaptic plasticity: Basic mechanisms to clinical applications (pp. 343-355). New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc.
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Thompson, C.K., Bonakdarpour, B., Blumenfeld, H.K., Fix, S.C., Parrish, T.B., Gitelman, D.R., & Mesulam, M.-M. (2004). Neural correlates of word class processing: An fMRI study. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, Supplement, 106.
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Thompson, C. K., Fix, S., Gitelman, D. R., Parrish, T. B., & Mesulam, M-M. (2001). The neurobiology of recovered sentence comprehension in aphasia: Treatment-induced fMRI activation patterns. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, Supplement.

Thompson, C. K. (2000). Neuroplasticity: Evidence from aphasia. Journal of Communication Disorders, 33, 357-366.
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Thompson, C. K. (2000). The neurobiology of language recovery in aphasia. Brain and Language, 71, 245-248.
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Functional categories

Deficits in production of functional categories (grammatical morphology) are common in Broca’s aphasia with agrammatism. Studies in this area examine production and grammaticality judgment of functional categories and use neuroimaging (fMRI) to study the neural correlates of grammatical morpheme production and recovery in aphasia.

Papers

Dickey, M.W., Milman, L. H., & Thompson, C. K. (2008). Judgment of functional morphology in agrammatic aphasia. Journal of Neurolinguistics, 21, 35-65.
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Faroqi-Shah, Y., & Thompson, C. K. (2007). Verb inflections in agrammatic aphasia: Encoding of tense features. Journal of Memory and Language, 56,129-151.
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Faroqi-Shah, Y., & Thompson, C.K. (2004). Semantic, lexical, and phonological influences on the production of verb inflections in agrammatic aphasia. Brain and Language, 89, 484-498.
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Thompson, C.K., Fix, S., & Gitelman, D. (2002). Selective impairment of morphosyntactic production in a neurological patient. Journal of Neurolinguistics, 15. 189-208.
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Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA)

We also are engaged in work examining the nature and progression of naming (and morphosyntactic) deficits in individuals with PPA, a form a dementia. This work is conducted in collaboration with Drs. M.-Marsel Mesulam, Ken Paller, and Sandra Weintraub.

Papers

Vandenberghe, R., Vandenbulcke, M., Weintraub, S., Johnson, N., Porke, K., Thompson, C.K., & Mesulam, M –M. (2005). Paradoxical features of word finding difficulty in primary progressive aphasia. Annals of Neurology, 57, 204-209.

Sonty, S., Mesulam, M-M., Thompson, C. K.., Johnson, N., Weintraub, S., Parrish, T., & Gitelman, D. (2003). Primary Progressive Aphasia: PPA and the language network. Annals of Neurology, 53, 35-49.
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Thompson, C.K., Ballard, K.J., Tait, M.E., Weintraub, S., & Mesulam, M.-M. (1997). Patterns of language decline in nonfluent primary progressive aphasia. Aphasiology, 11, 297-321.
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Schneider, S.L., Thompson, C.K., & Luring, B. (1996). Effects of verbal plus gestural matrix training on sentence production in a patient with primary progressive aphasia. Aphasiology, 10(3), 297-317.