Phonological Processing as a Marker of Latent Cognitive Vulnerability: A Pre- and Post-Stroke Case Study in a Patient without Aphasia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60059/SPL.2024.2.42-56Keywords:
phonological processing, ischemic stroke, subclinical vulnerability, cognitive reserve, right hemisphere lesion, neurovascular riskAbstract
This study presents a case of a patient whose phonological processing was assessed before and after an ischemic stroke in the right posterior cerebral artery, without clinical signs of aphasia. Using a standardized assessment tool, a marked decline was observed in tasks involving repetition, blending, and segmentation of sound units, particularly when processing pseudowords,while automated processes such as oral reading and auditory phonological processing remained relatively preserved. The findings indicate that even lesions outside the classical language areas can lead to selective language-cognitive impairments. The study supports the concept of the network-based and bilateral organization of language functions and highlights the potential of phonological tasks as a sensitive tool for early detection of latent cognitive- linguistic vulnerability and increased neurovascular risk.
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