Language comprehension and production in patients with epilepsy

Epilepsy is a central neurological disorder that is caused by abnormal (epileptic) brain activity. Epileptic seizures can give rise to a decline in different cognitive functions (e.g., attention and memory).

The results of the previous studies on language comprehension and production in patients with epilepsy are quite controversial. The goal of this project is to investigate language comprehension and production in adults with epilepsy at different language levels as a function of localization of the epileptogenic focus.

We use the Russian Aphasia Test (RAT) for language testing of patients with epilepsy, as well as specially developed (more sophisticated) tests on single word (noun and verb) production. In addition, we aim at analysis of correlations between results characterizing language processing in patients with epilepsy and results of the tests of nonverbal intelligence (Raven's Progressive Matrices), working and semantic memory.

The results of this project indicate that patients with temporal lobe epilepsy have problems with single word production that are more prominent in patients with the epileptogenic focus in the left temporal lobe as compared to the patients with the right-lateralized focus. In addition, patients with epileptogenic focus in the left temporal lobe can experience difficulties with single word and discourse comprehension.

Publications

Yurchenko A., Golovteev A., Kopachev D., Dragoy O. Comprehension and production of nouns and verbs in temporal lobe epilepsy //Epilepsy & Behavior. – 2017. – Vol. 75. – pp. 127-133.

Yurchenko A., Golovteev A., Kopachev D., Dragoy O. Object and action naming in Russian individuals with epilepsy //Epilepsia. – 2016. – Vol. 57. – pp. 162-163.

Yurchenko A., Dragoy O., Kopachev D., Golovteev A. Discourse comprehension and production in Russian speakers with epilepsy //Epilepsia. – 2015. – Vol. 56. – pp. 243.


Presentations

Yurchenko A., ArutiunianV., Golovteev A., Dragoy O. Discourse comprehension in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy //Poster presented at the Summer Neurolinguistics School 2018, May 21-23, Moscow, Russia.

Yurchenko A., Golovteev A., Dragoy O. Single word production and semantic processing in temporal lobe epilepsy //Poster presented at the 32nd International Epilepsy Congress, 2017, September 2-6. Barcelona, Spain.

Yurchenko A., Golovteev A., Kopachev D., Dragoy O. Object and action naming in Russian individuals with epilepsy // Poster presented at the 12th European Congress on Epileptology, 2016, September 11-15, Prague, Czech Republic.

The project is supported by RFBR grant  № 18-312-00091\18 (2018-2020), principal investigator  – Anna Yurchenko