SLHS Weekly Seminar – Verbal and Non-Verbal Executive Functions Differentially Support Discourse Production in Aphasia…

November 9, 2026
12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
Lyles-Porter Hall, Room 1160

Speaker 1: Emily Lenz, speech-language pathologist and PhD Student, ABC Lab, Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Purdue University.

Title: Verbal and Non-Verbal Executive Functions Differentially Support Discourse Production in Aphasia.

Abstract: Growing evidence supports a relationship between language and executive functions (EFs) in aphasia. In this study, we measured verbal and non-verbal EFs (inhibition, shifting, and sustained attention) in people with chronic aphasia (PWA) and age-matched controls. We then examined the relationship between EFs and spoken discourse. PWA demonstrated reduced EF performance, with verbal and non-verbal EFs showing only partial overlap in PWA. Verbal EFs more strongly predicted performance in open-ended discourse, whereas structured discourse was primarily associated with sustained attention. These findings suggest that discourse relies on multiple cognitive processes that should be considered in treatment planning.

Speaker 2: Addison Vogt, PhD Candidate, ABC Lab, Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Purdue University.

Title: Divergent Sentence Processing Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Its Implications for Locus Coeruleus Function.

Abstract: Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) has been shown to result in cognitive communication deficits. The current study uses pupillometry to assess how cognitive ability, particularly in attention, memory, and executive function, impacts allocation of resources during sentence processing. Results showed that individuals with mTBI do not dynamically adjust cognitive effort as neurotypical controls do. This implicates potential disfunction within the locus coeruleus and a disruption in cognitive resource deployment. Future researchers should be aware of a potential decoupling of pupil dilation from cognitive effort after mTBI. Clinicians working with individuals after mTBI should consider that patients may be experiencing difficulties in their application of cognitive resources even when they show normal performance on cognitive tasks.