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Brain Sciences
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Editorial Board Members' Collection Series: Language Disorders and Cognitive Aging
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Editorial Board Members' Collection Series: Language Disorders and Cognitive Aging

A special issue of Brain Sciences (ISSN 2076-3425). This special issue belongs to the section "Neurolinguistics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2024) | Viewed by 3673

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Joel Macoir

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Faculté de Médecine, Département de Réadaptation, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
2. Centre de Recherche CERVO (CERVO Brain Research Centre), Québec, QC G1J 2G3, Canada
Interests: speech-language pathology; neuropsychology; neurolinguistics; cognition; neurodegenerative diseases; assessment; semantics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Research on cognitive aging in humans has generally shown that abilities gradually decline with age. However, these changes do not occur equally in all cognitive domains and tend to affect attention, memory and executive functions. The incidence of age-related diseases, including major neurocognitive disorders (MNCDs), which refer to a progressive decline in cognitive function that significantly affects activities of daily living. While MNCDs are commonly associated with impaired episodic memory, they are also characterized by language deficits that affect comprehension and production abilities. Clinical linguistic profiles commonly associated with common forms of MNCDs have been described, some in more detail than others. Neurolinguistic studies have also gone beyond the mere description of symptoms and identified the functional localization of impaired and preserved processing components of the language processing system in dementia.

In this special issue on Language Disorders and Cognitive Aging, all aspects (either theoretical or experimental studies) of original research articles and reviews on this topic are welcome. This may include, for example, the specific characterization of language impairments in MNCDs and their relationships with other cognitive deficits, new techniques or tools for the assessment of language and communication impairments in MNCDs, outcomes of behavioral interventions for language and communication impairments associated with MNCDs, etc

Prof. Dr. Joel Macoir
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Brain Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • major neurocognitive disorders
  • cognitive function
  • episodic memory
  • language deficits
  • language impairments

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 1516 KiB  
Article
Expanding the Applicability of Cognitive Charts to the Entire Age Span
by Christian Gourdeau, Marie-Pierre Légaré-Baribeau, Patrick Bernier and Robert Laforce
Brain Sci. 2025, 15(4), 327; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci15040327 - 21 Mar 2025
Viewed by 1201
Abstract
Background/Objectives: We previously developed Cognitive Charts (CCs) for early detection and/or longitudinal evaluation of age-associated cognitive decline on widely used cognitive screening measures such as the Mini-Mental State Examination (CC-MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (CC-MoCA). Similar to growth curves used in Pediatrics, [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: We previously developed Cognitive Charts (CCs) for early detection and/or longitudinal evaluation of age-associated cognitive decline on widely used cognitive screening measures such as the Mini-Mental State Examination (CC-MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (CC-MoCA). Similar to growth curves used in Pediatrics, clinicians can quickly interpret an individual’s performance on the MMSE or MoCA, track the patient’s longitudinal cognitive trajectory, and subsequently intervene earlier based on the findings (see quoco.org). This has proven very helpful to frontline clinicians, particularly in light of the newly approved monoclonal antibodies for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. To this date, however, the CC-MMSE and CC-MoCA only applied to limited age ranges. We validated herein our CCs across the entire age span. Methods: Two datasets were obtained from the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center, for a total of 32,560 individuals. We examined average MMSE and MoCA scores for younger individuals compared to the current age thresholds and ensured consistency of age-related Cognitive Quotient scores. Results: In this study, both MMSE and MoCA scores show very little variation below the age threshold. If the age is fixed at the threshold in the QuoCo calculation, the resulting score remains constant within this range. Furthermore, CCs performed similar or better in younger individuals. Conclusions: Our findings again emphasize the clinical significance of CCs as a tool for monitoring cognitive changes across the entire age span, hence maximizing early detection and appropriate treatment monitoring. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Editorial Board Members' Collection Series: Language Disorders and Cognitive Aging)
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Review

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12 pages, 262 KiB  
Review
Different Markers of Semantic–Lexical Impairment Allow One to Obtain Different Information on the Conversion from MCI to AD: A Narrative Review of an Ongoing Research Program
by Davide Quaranta, Camillo Marra, Maria Gabriella Vita and Guido Gainotti
Brain Sci. 2024, 14(11), 1128; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14111128 - 8 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1014
Abstract
Background: In this narrative review, we have surveyed results obtained from a research program dealing with the role of semantic memory disorders as a predictor of progression from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Objectives: In this research program, we have [...] Read more.
Background: In this narrative review, we have surveyed results obtained from a research program dealing with the role of semantic memory disorders as a predictor of progression from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Objectives: In this research program, we have taken into account many different putative markers, provided of a different complexity in the study of the semantic network. These markers ranged from the number of words produced on a semantic fluency task to the following: (a) the discrepancy between scores obtained on semantic vs. phonemic word fluency tests; (b) the presence, at the single-word level, of features (such as a loss of low typical words on a category verbal fluency task) typical of a degraded semantic system; or (c) the presence of more complex phenomena (such as the semantic distance between consecutively produced word pairs) concerning the organization of the semantic network. In the present review, all these studies have been presented, providing separate subsections for (a) methods, (b) results, and (c) a short discussion. Some tentative general conclusions have been drawn at the end of the review. We found that at baseline all these markers are impaired in MCI patients who will later convert to AD, but also that they do not necessarily show a linear worsening during the progression to AD and allow one to make different predictions about the time of development of AD. Our conclusions were that, rather than searching for the best marker of conversion, we should use a range of different markers allowing us to obtain the information most appropriate to the goal of our investigation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Editorial Board Members' Collection Series: Language Disorders and Cognitive Aging)

Other

Jump to: Research, Review

13 pages, 487 KiB  
Systematic Review
The Functional Origin of Oral Word Production Deficits in the Logopenic Variant of Primary Progressive Aphasia: A Systematic Review
by Amra Hasanovic, Joël Macoir, Amélie Sanfaçon-Verret and Laura Monetta
Brain Sci. 2025, 15(2), 111; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci15020111 - 24 Jan 2025
Viewed by 774
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Oral word production (OWP) deficits are prominent in the logopenic variant of primary progressive aphasia (lvPPA); however, their functional origin remains unclear. Some studies suggest a lexical, post-lexical, or even a combined functional origin of these deficits. The aim of the present [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Oral word production (OWP) deficits are prominent in the logopenic variant of primary progressive aphasia (lvPPA); however, their functional origin remains unclear. Some studies suggest a lexical, post-lexical, or even a combined functional origin of these deficits. The aim of the present study was to synthesize and analyze the information on the functional origin of the OWP deficits in patients with lvPPA. Methods: A quantitative systematic literature review was carried out using four databases: CINAHL, PsycINFO, Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts, and PubMed. Fourteen studies, including a total of 243 patients with lvPPA, and reporting results on picture naming and/or word and/or pseudoword repetition, were selected. Results: The overall findings of this review highlighted that two main functional origins appear to explain the OWP deficits in lvPPA: a lexical impairment affecting lexical processing and a post-lexical impairment affecting phonological short-term memory. Interestingly, the possibility of a third functional origin, affecting the semantic processing level, was also suggested by some studies. Conclusions: We concluded that the presence of different functional origins of OWP in this population may be explained, at least partially, by the diversity of assessment tasks used in studies and the varied manipulation and control of psycholinguistic properties of words (e.g., frequency, length), as well as the various interpretations and analyses of the participants’ errors. Further studies are needed to substantiate these findings by examining all the components involved in OWP, carefully manipulating the psycholinguistic properties and qualitatively analyzing the errors made by lvPPA participants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Editorial Board Members' Collection Series: Language Disorders and Cognitive Aging)
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