# Postdoctoral Training in Translational Neurorehabilitation Research

> **NIH NIH T32** · ALBERT EINSTEIN HEALTHCARE NETWORK · 2021 · $71,399

## Abstract

Characteristics and Treatment of lvPPA Subphonemic Errors
Abstract
Logopenic variant of primary progressive aphasia (i.e., lvPPA) is characterized by impaired single-
word retrieval, impaired phrasal repetition, poor comprehension of complex sentences, and
phonological speech errors (e.g., cap is said instead of tap). The phonological errors demonstrated
by this population is thought to arise from a deficit of phonological working memory, due to
atrophy of temporo-parietal regions. However, the characteristics and underlying pathology of the
phonological errors made by lvPPA patients remain to be fully elucidated. Specifically, researchers
have overlooked contributions of temporal lobe degeneration in the types of phonological errors
that lvPPA patients make. Subphonemic representations for consonant place, manner, and voicing
are stored in temporal regions and are activated during speech production. Temporal degeneration
likely leads a systematic impairment of retrieval of subphonemic characteristics in lvPPA speech.
Yet, no study to date has investigated this possibility. Targeting the subphonemic characteristics
of lvPPA speech errors may be crucial for slowing the loss of speech due to this debilitating
condition. Neuromodulation using transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) of intact brain
regions involved with phonological processes may be used to strengthen weakened connections to
these subphonemic representations, and in turn, makes neuromodulation a promising treatment
approach for lvPPA. Thus, the proposed study aims to specify the subphonemic characteristics of
lvPPA speech errors (Aim 1), establish the neural correlates of these errors (Aim 2), and determine
whether neuromodulation of intact regions involved with structuring these representations is an
effective rehabilitative technique (Aim 3). Aim 1 will be accomplished by evaluating the frequency
of different subphonemic error types among consonant productions made by lvPPA patients.
Specifying the pattern of subphonemic errors made by lvPPA patients will allow clinicians to
systematically target them during speech-language therapy. Aim 2 will be accomplished using
anatomical imaging/measures of atrophy (magnetic resonance imaging [i.e., MRI]) of lvPPA
individuals. Finally, Aim 3 will involve using tDCS to stimulate intact inferior frontal regions,
which are implicated in facilitating and establishing phoneme categorization. By accomplishing
this aim, we will determine whether stimulating intact regions improves phonological processing
and thus proves a promising treatment strategy for treating individuals with lvPPA. More broadly,
our proposed study will inform many future neuroimaging studies and intervention techniques by
characterizing how subphonemic properties of lvPPA-characteristic speech and their
corresponding neural properties are related to the behavioral outcomes observed among lvPPA
individuals.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10330319
- **Project number:** 3T32HD071844-09S1
- **Recipient organization:** ALBERT EINSTEIN HEALTHCARE NETWORK
- **Principal Investigator:** JOHN WHYTE
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $71,399
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2013-05-13 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10330319

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10330319, Postdoctoral Training in Translational Neurorehabilitation Research (3T32HD071844-09S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10330319. Licensed CC0.

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