# Cognitive control and sentence processing in aphasia

> **NIH NIH R01** · GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $302,945

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Many people with aphasia have difficulty with both language and executive functions. But the relationship
between the two types of impairments is not well understood. Both language and executive functions are
made up of multiple abilities. Precise, theory-driven approaches are needed to identify how particular
executive functions impact particular processes within language. This project will focus on sentence
comprehension, which is often impaired in aphasia and affects patients' communicative functions. Correctly
understanding sentences requires the parser to resolve conflict between alternative interpretations indicated
by different lexical, semantic, and syntactic cues. The proposed research will test the hypothesis that
cognitive control, a type of executive function used to resolve conflict between mental representations, plays
an important role in sentence comprehension by helping choose between competing interpretations. Healthy
adults and patients with aphasia will be tested using a combination of behavioral and functional imaging
techniques. Large case series as well as detailed case studies of patients will be used to establish how
cognitive control impairments affect sentence comprehension in aphasia. Studies 1, 2 and 3 will determine
the impact of cognitive control on the comprehension of sentences containing conflicting cues (Specific Aim
1). Study 1 will address this aim using regression in a case series of patients with diverse aphasia profiles. It
will use behavioral measures to evaluate whether patients' performance in general cognitive control tasks
predicts their comprehension of “conflict” sentences. Study 2 will use online eyetracking and
electrophysiological (ERP) measures to establish the effect of cognitive control impairments on the detection
and resolution of conflict during real-time sentence processing. Study 3 will involve case studies of selected
agrammatic patients. It will compare agrammatic patients with and without cognitive control deficits to test
the prediction that the former group will be selectively more impaired in conflict sentence comprehension.
Studies 4 and 5 will expand the inquiry to the comprehension of noncanonical sentences without conflicting
cues (Specific Aim 2). Even in cases where cues to interpretation do not conflict, the use of canonical parsing
heuristics can lead to “garden-path” interpretations that have to be revised. Study 4 will use neuroimaging
(fMRI) and within-subject co-localization in healthy adults to test whether noncanonical sentences rely on the
same cognitive control networks as conflict sentences. Study 5 will use case studies of selected patients with
and without cognitive control deficits to test whether cognitive control impacts recovery from garden-paths
during noncanonical sentence comprehension in aphasia. Together, the studies will improve understanding of
sentence processing in aphasia and in healthy adults. By clarifying the role of cognitive contr...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9975134
- **Project number:** 5R01DC017138-03
- **Recipient organization:** GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Malathi Thothathiri
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $302,945
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-08-01 → 2023-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9975134

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9975134, Cognitive control and sentence processing in aphasia (5R01DC017138-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9975134. Licensed CC0.

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