Professor Presents Dementia-Related Research in England

Adithya Chandregowda, Ph.D., from the Department of Speech-Language Pathology at NSU presented a research poster titled “Assessment and Management of Dynamic Aphasia in the Context of Frontotemporal Dementia” at the 61st annual meeting of the Academy of Aphasia (AoA) hosted by the University of Reading, England, UK.

His research sheds light on a lesser-known manifestation of frontotemporal dementia referred to as “dynamic aphasia.” Unlike other variations of aphasia, individuals with dynamic aphasia perform well on clinical tests of naming, verbal repetition, auditory-verbal comprehension and reading, but they have substantial difficulty during conversations. They struggle to answer open-ended questions/requests (e.g., “Tell me about your hobbies”) and it is proposed that they have a breakdown at the stage where thoughts are converted into verbal messages (i.e., the thought-verbal interface).

Through his research, Chandregowda hopes to increase awareness about this clinical condition and contribute to the development of appropriate assessment and management strategies for clinical practice. His presentation at the AoA meeting was well received.

Posted 11/05/23