Personalized Closed-Loop Brain Stimulation for Patients With Primary Progressive Aphasia

Change in auditory recall accuracy based on the sum of words recalled in Trials 1-5 of semantically related - trained word-lists

Each trained word-list (practiced during the intervention period) will consist of 12 semantically related words (e.g., birds). Word lists will be constructed using psycholinguistic databases. There will be 5 Trials to learn each list. The investigators will compute the raw score of items correctly recalled by summing all scores from Trial 1 to Trial 5 and transforming to percent correct (range: 0-100%) at each time point of the study. Increase in scores is considered a benefit.

Change in auditory delayed recall accuracy of semantically related - trained word-lists

Each trained word-list (practiced during the intervention period) will consist of 12 semantically related words (e.g., birds). Word lists will be constructed using psycholinguistic databases. There will be 5 Trials to recall each list, and then participants will be asked to recall that list 20 minutes later (delayed recall). The investigators will compute the raw score of items correctly recalled (delayed recall) and transform to percent correct (range: 0-100%) at each time point of the study. Increase in scores is considered a benefit.

Change in auditory recall accuracy based on the sum of words recalled in Trials 1-5 of semantically unrelated - trained word-lists

Each trained word-list (practiced during the intervention period) will consist of 12 semantically unrelated words as in Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT). Word lists will be constructed using psycholinguistic databases. There will be 5 Trials to learn each list. The investigators will compute the raw score of items correctly recalled by summing all scores from Trial 1 to Trial 5 and transforming to percent correct (range: 0-100%) at each time point of the study. Increase in scores is considered a benefit.

Change in auditory delayed recall accuracy of semantically unrelated - trained word-lists

Each trained word-list (practiced during the intervention period) will consist of 12 semantically unrelated words (as in RAVLT). Word lists will be constructed using psycholinguistic databases. There will be 5 Trials to recall each list, and then participants will be asked to recall that list 20 minutes later (delayed recall). The investigators will compute the raw score of items correctly recalled (delayed recall) and transform to percent correct (range: 0-100%) at each time point of the study. Increase in scores is considered a benefit.

Change in Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) score

RAVLT is a well-established verbal memory test. RAVLT includes a 5-trial presentation of a 15-word list (List A), a single presentation of an interference list (List B)(Trial 6), two post-interference recall trials (one immediate - Trial 7, one delayed - Trial 8) and recognition of the target words in the orthographic modality with distractors (Trial 9). Scoring includes the percent score of Trial 1, Trial 5, Trial 8 and Trial 9 as well as the sum of Trial 1 through 5, and the difference between Trial 5 and Trial 1 computed as the percent difference between the scores before intervention and each time point after. Increase in score is considered a benefit.

Change in Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE)

MMSE is a well-established cognitive assessment test. It examines functions including registration (repeating named prompts), attention and calculation, recall, language, ability to follow simple commands and orientation. The total raw score is out of 30 points. The investigators will compute the raw score of items correct and transform to percent correct (range: 0-100%), computing change in outcome in percent difference between before intervention and each time point after. Increase in score is considered a benefit.

Change in Mnemonic Similarity Task (MST) score

MST is a well-established test in order to assess high interference memory and general recognition memory via pattern separation. It involves differentiating between previously learned images and novel images. For the MST tasks, the Pattern Separation (PS) score will be calculated using two measures: a) the rate of similar items correctly identified minus the rate of similar items misidentified as new (S\|S-S\|N); b) the rate of similar items correctly identified minus the rate of similar items misidentified as old (S\|S-O\|S). The number of correct responses for each category of items (i.e., old, similar, new) and the type of errors (i.e., identifications of new items as similar; identification of similar items as old) will also be tracked. Change in outcome in percent difference will be computed between the scores before intervention and each time point after. Increase in scores is considered a benefit.

Change in word repetition score

Temple Assessment of Language and Short-Term Memory in Aphasia (TALSA) tasks include word repetition, with sets of 1-6 words. Scoring will be based on percent of words correctly repeated. The investigators will compute the raw score of items correct and transform to percent correct (range: 0-100%), computing change in outcome in percent difference between before intervention and each time point after. Increase in score is considered a benefit.