# Investigating Neural Signatures of Rehabilitation in Primary Progressive Aphasia

> **NIH NIH F32** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN · 2020 · $69,306

## Abstract

Project Summary
Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a debilitating, neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a gradual
loss of speech and language function. A growing body of evidence has emerged examining the nature of
speech and language deficits in addition to the benefits of speech-language intervention in PPA. However,
most of this research has focused on expressive language processing, with little attention paid to receptive
language abilities, particularly at the level of connected speech. Moreover, there is no research investigating
the potential for transfer of treatment-induced gains to receptive language processing following expressive
language intervention. The long-term objectives of this project are to a) assess receptive speech processing
abilities in PPA using behavioral and neuroimaging methods, and b) to examine generalization of treatment
effects to receptive language following expressive language intervention in PPA.
The study has three main goals: 1) to investigate the relation between gray matter volumes and speech
processing in PPA using carefully constrained speech processing tasks and voxel-based morphometry, 2) to
characterize speech processing deficits in PPA using a continuous speech processing task and EEG, and 3) to
document treatment-induced changes in speech processing in PPA using behavioral and EEG data. In order to
accomplish these aims, 20 individuals with PPA will be recruited who will undergo a comprehensive cognitive-
linguistic evaluation and structural and functional neuroimaging (structural MRI, EEG). Subsequently,
participants will be enrolled in an established speech-language intervention targeting word retrieval, after which
behavioral and EEG testing will be repeated. State-of-the-art neuroimaging methodology will be used to
determine neural predictors of speech processing abilities in patients as well as changes in brain function that
result from treatment. These findings have the potential to inform behavioral intervention in PPA by elucidating
the effect of expressive language treatment on the ability to understand spoken language.
This project will provide the applicant with a unique training experience, which will include the development of
the necessary skills for a) implementation of behavioral treatment research in individuals with progressive
aphasia and related disorders, b) acquisition, analysis and interpretation of structural and functional
neuroimaging data, and c) data analysis techniques for small samples. The applicant’s sponsors and
collaborators will provide valuable expertise and mentorship in the areas of intervention research, structural
and functional neuroimaging, experimental design, and statistical methodology. Together, these experiences
will prepare the applicant for an independent research career.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9939510
- **Project number:** 5F32DC016812-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
- **Principal Investigator:** Heather R Dial
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $69,306
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-06-01 → 2021-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9939510

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9939510, Investigating Neural Signatures of Rehabilitation in Primary Progressive Aphasia (5F32DC016812-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9939510. Licensed CC0.

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