# Translation and Clinical Implementation of a Test of Language and Short-term Memory (STM) in Aphasia

> **NIH NIH R01** · TEMPLE UNIV OF THE COMMONWEALTH · 2022 · $587,130

## Abstract

Aphasia is an acquired impairment of language abilities resulting from damage to the left hemisphere from
stroke, head trauma or other neurological conditions. It can affect any aspect of spoken and/or written language
processing and can range from mild to severe. As language provides us with a unique form of communication,
aphasia can have profound adverse effects on one's quality of life. Although aphasia is more common in older
populations, it can occur at any age, and many people with aphasia want to find ways to return to their premorbid
lifestyles, including active careers, to the extent that this is possible. Clearly, there is a need for effective clinical
tools to diagnose and treat aphasia, but a third factor makes the possibility of meeting this need a reality: More
than 30 years of rehabilitation research provides strong evidence that even in chronic stages of aphasia,
behavioral interventions lead to improved language function and changes in neural activity of cortical areas
known to support language. This project aims to translate a theory-driven and empirically supported diagnostic
battery for aphasia (Temple Assessment of Language and Short-term memory in Aphasia, TALSA) to a clinically
feasible test battery that can be used for screening or in-depth measures of a language impairment. Importantly,
the TALSA is based on a theoretical model of language that incorporates a role of verbal short-term memory
(STM) in language processing. Language and verbal STM impairments commonly co-occur in aphasia, and this
model attributes that co-occurrence to a common impairment of processes that support access and retrieval of
words: weak activation and/or the inability to maintain activation of linguistic representations during word
processing. This level of diagnosis is needed to guide impairment-based treatment approaches that directly
stimulate access and retrieval processes. The TALSA is unique in that it includes language tests that add
memory load and processing time, variables which are sensitive to these processing impairments.
 The research version of the TALSA is administered on a computer but is lengthy and not practical in a clinical
setting. Our aim is to develop a computerized adaptive test version for clinical use. This project will use a
Milestone based approach to develop this innovative clinical tool. In the first two years, we will develop the clinical
version using focus groups and item response theory to identify the best items and subtests to use in the clinical
version of this test (Milestone 1). Goals to meet Milestone 2 will include (1) assessment of participating clinicians'
views of current and best practices in aphasia rehabilitation and (2) training participating clinicians on the
concepts behind the TALSA, as well as specifics about its administration and interpretation. Milestone 3 will
involve implementation of the clinical version in the clinical settings and assessment of clinicians' responses to
its usefulness ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10318138
- **Project number:** 5R01DC016094-05
- **Recipient organization:** TEMPLE UNIV OF THE COMMONWEALTH
- **Principal Investigator:** Nadine Martin
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $587,130
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-12-15 → 2023-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10318138

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10318138, Translation and Clinical Implementation of a Test of Language and Short-term Memory (STM) in Aphasia (5R01DC016094-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10318138. Licensed CC0.

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