Novel participant-level meta-analytic evidence for AbSANT efficacy
The current study employed interrupted time series (ITS) models to analyze all available (published and unpublished) Abstract Semantic Associative Network Training (AbSANT) data. AbSANT is a semantically focused anomia treatment that targets not only concrete but abstract words, unique among existin...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fresc.2023.1017389/full |
| _version_ | 1827874930946998272 |
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| author | Chaleece W. Sandberg Hannah Khorassani Teresa Gray Michael Walsh Dickey Michael Walsh Dickey |
| author_facet | Chaleece W. Sandberg Hannah Khorassani Teresa Gray Michael Walsh Dickey Michael Walsh Dickey |
| author_sort | Chaleece W. Sandberg |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The current study employed interrupted time series (ITS) models to analyze all available (published and unpublished) Abstract Semantic Associative Network Training (AbSANT) data. AbSANT is a semantically focused anomia treatment that targets not only concrete but abstract words, unique among existing anomia treatments. However, evidence to date for the positive effects of AbSANT comes only from small-sample, single-subject design studies, limiting the strength of this evidence and the inferences that can be drawn from it. The statistical power and greater representativeness afforded by this larger aggregated sample enabled us to look for group-level efficacy evidence for AbSANT, examine specific questions about AbSANT's direct training and generalization effects, and identify potential predictors and mechanisms of AbSANT treatment response. We found that across 33 participants from four different data sources, AbSANT appears to be a robust word retrieval therapy protocol, with overall direct training and generalization effects that were more meaningful than exposure effects. Similar to previous smaller-sample study conclusions, we found that in this large sample, training abstract words results not only in larger direct training effects than training concrete words, but also larger generalization effects, suggesting that while AbSANT successfully improves both abstract and concrete word retrieval, it may be better suited for training abstract words. In general, direct training effects were more persistent after treatment ended than generalization effects and effects for concrete words were more persistent than for abstract words. Additionally, the effects of generalization appear to be distinct from the effects of simple exposure to words, and generalization effects are consistent with AbSANT's hypothesized mechanism of action: spreading activation from directly trained concepts to related concepts. Also consistent with this mechanism, we found that milder aphasia and both conceptual and lexical semantic processing ability predicted both direct training and generalization gains, and that executive function was predictive of generalization effects. These factors are thus important to consider when evaluating the appropriateness of AbSANT for individual clients. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:58:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-96a406a597c542ccac35611bd65338b5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2673-6861 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:58:56Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-96a406a597c542ccac35611bd65338b52023-08-07T18:25:26ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences2673-68612023-08-01410.3389/fresc.2023.10173891017389Novel participant-level meta-analytic evidence for AbSANT efficacyChaleece W. Sandberg0Hannah Khorassani1Teresa Gray2Michael Walsh Dickey3Michael Walsh Dickey4Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Penn State University, University Park, PA, United StatesDepartment of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, United StatesDepartment of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, United StatesDepartment of Communication Science and Disorders, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United StatesGeriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA, United StatesThe current study employed interrupted time series (ITS) models to analyze all available (published and unpublished) Abstract Semantic Associative Network Training (AbSANT) data. AbSANT is a semantically focused anomia treatment that targets not only concrete but abstract words, unique among existing anomia treatments. However, evidence to date for the positive effects of AbSANT comes only from small-sample, single-subject design studies, limiting the strength of this evidence and the inferences that can be drawn from it. The statistical power and greater representativeness afforded by this larger aggregated sample enabled us to look for group-level efficacy evidence for AbSANT, examine specific questions about AbSANT's direct training and generalization effects, and identify potential predictors and mechanisms of AbSANT treatment response. We found that across 33 participants from four different data sources, AbSANT appears to be a robust word retrieval therapy protocol, with overall direct training and generalization effects that were more meaningful than exposure effects. Similar to previous smaller-sample study conclusions, we found that in this large sample, training abstract words results not only in larger direct training effects than training concrete words, but also larger generalization effects, suggesting that while AbSANT successfully improves both abstract and concrete word retrieval, it may be better suited for training abstract words. In general, direct training effects were more persistent after treatment ended than generalization effects and effects for concrete words were more persistent than for abstract words. Additionally, the effects of generalization appear to be distinct from the effects of simple exposure to words, and generalization effects are consistent with AbSANT's hypothesized mechanism of action: spreading activation from directly trained concepts to related concepts. Also consistent with this mechanism, we found that milder aphasia and both conceptual and lexical semantic processing ability predicted both direct training and generalization gains, and that executive function was predictive of generalization effects. These factors are thus important to consider when evaluating the appropriateness of AbSANT for individual clients.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fresc.2023.1017389/fullaphasiaanomia treatmentabstract conceptssemanticsmeta-analysis |
| spellingShingle | Chaleece W. Sandberg Hannah Khorassani Teresa Gray Michael Walsh Dickey Michael Walsh Dickey Novel participant-level meta-analytic evidence for AbSANT efficacy Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences aphasia anomia treatment abstract concepts semantics meta-analysis |
| title | Novel participant-level meta-analytic evidence for AbSANT efficacy |
| title_full | Novel participant-level meta-analytic evidence for AbSANT efficacy |
| title_fullStr | Novel participant-level meta-analytic evidence for AbSANT efficacy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Novel participant-level meta-analytic evidence for AbSANT efficacy |
| title_short | Novel participant-level meta-analytic evidence for AbSANT efficacy |
| title_sort | novel participant level meta analytic evidence for absant efficacy |
| topic | aphasia anomia treatment abstract concepts semantics meta-analysis |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fresc.2023.1017389/full |
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