# Investigating the Neurocognitive Mechanisms of Error Monitoring in Aphasia

> **NIH NIH F30** · GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $32,820

## Abstract

Abstract/Summary
Stroke causes most of the estimated 180,000 yearly new cases of aphasia, an acquired language impairment.
Stroke survivors with aphasia often make errors when speaking, and are generally impaired at detecting their
speech errors. Successful monitoring of one’s speech errors, referred to as Speech Error Monitoring (SEM)
improves effective communication, and thus is an important prospective target for therapy. However, targeting
SEM in therapy is currently difficult because the cognitive and neural mediators of SEM in aphasia are poorly
understood. This proposal addresses two major gaps in our understanding of SEM in aphasia: the role of
cognitive control in poor SEM in aphasia (Aim 1), and the functional brain networks responsible for SEM in
people with aphasia (Aim 2).
 To date, research on SEM in aphasia has focused on the role of language-specific mediators, e.g.,
auditory comprehension, assuming that poor SEM results from a domain-specific speech or language deficit.
Although researchers agree that SEM relies on and recruits cognitive control, which is also impaired in
aphasia, it remains unknown whether cognitive control deficits contribute to SEM impairments. This proposed
study probes different aspects of cognitive control abilities to discover their role as mediators of SEM. We
predict that poor language-related cognitive control contributes to impaired SEM in aphasia. The neural
mediators of SEM impairments in aphasia are virtually unexplored, but evidence from healthy participants
supports the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) as a region critical for self-monitoring. Since the ACC is rarely
lesioned in people with aphasia, and is part of a dynamic network that interacts with many brain regions, we
predict that poor SEM results from stroke-induced disruption of communication between the language network
and the ACC.
 This prospective cross sectional study will gather data on 50 individuals with aphasia and 50 age
matched controls, using measures of error monitoring in speech, performance on cognitive control tasks, and
measures of spoken word production and comprehension. Language networks will be mapped in individual
subjects using a validated functional MRI task known to reliably activate the language network in individuals
with aphasia, and resting-state data will be used to determine if connectivity between the ACC and language
regions relates to error-monitoring performance. The hypotheses are that (1) both language-related cognitive
control as well as non-language cognitive control scores will be associated with SEM, and (2) SEM will be
associated with connectivity of residual language networks to the ACC. This study will elucidate behavioral and
neural mediators of SEM, which may become targets for future treatments that incorporate SEM.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10154072
- **Project number:** 1F30DC019024-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Joshua Mccall
- **Activity code:** F30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $32,820
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-08 → 2025-09-07

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10154072

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10154072, Investigating the Neurocognitive Mechanisms of Error Monitoring in Aphasia (1F30DC019024-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10154072. Licensed CC0.

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