INS NYC 2024 Program

Poster	Poster Session 09 Program Schedule 02/16/2024 03:30 pm - 04:45 pm Room: Majestic Complex (Posters 61-120) Poster Session 09: Epilepsy \| Oncology \| MS \| Infectious Disease Final Abstract #79 Investigating the Effects of Bilingualism on Verbal Fluency Among Pediatric Brain Tumor Patients Sanya Mital, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States Rebecca Chiang, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States Ashley Whitaker, Children's Hospital Los Angeles; Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States Category: Cancer Keyword 1: pediatric neuropsychology Keyword 2: brain tumor Keyword 3: executive functions Objective: Pediatric brain tumor (PBT) survivors are susceptible to neuropsychological late effects following cancer-related treatment, including deficits in verbal fluency (ability to efficiently retrieve information from their lexicon). Recent studies have shown that youth with mixed language exposure to two or more languages are more likely to demonstrate impaired performance on verbal fluency measures as compared to their monolingual counterparts as a result of interference between languages. However, there is limited literature on the relationship between mixed language exposure on verbal fluency among patients with PBT, where risk of impairment is already present. This study investigates the role mixed language exposure plays on verbal fluency among PBT patients and explores potential confounding factors, such as vocabulary and processing speed. Participants and Methods: Patients with PBT were administered the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System Verbal Fluency Test or NEPSY-2nd Edition Word Generation subtest based on age. Low socioeconomic status (SES) was more prominent among patients with mixed language exposure based on reported home language(s) when examining the larger sample as a whole, t(103)=4.55, p<.001. Therefore, a subset of monolingual (English) controls was selected to ensure comparable SES between mixed language (Spanish/English) exposure (n=38) and monolingual (n=38) groups. This was to control for SES at the selection phase since lower SES predicts worse outcomes (including poorer verbal fluency) among PBT survivors. The final sample (N=76) ranged from 7-21 years of age (x̄=14.6 years, SD=4.0 years), was 57% male, and identified as Latino (71%), Caucasian (14.5%), or Other (14.5%). Household income was estimated based on zip code (x̄=$66,250, SD=$19,600) and was used as a proxy for SES. Word knowledge and processing speed were assessed using the Wechsler Vocabulary subtest and Processing Speed Index, respectively. General (nonverbal) switching abilities were assessed using the D-KEFS Trail Making Test Trial 4. Results: Since monolingual controls were selected based on SES, there were no significant differences in SES between groups, t(74)=1.12, p=.268, and no differences were noted in underlying vocabulary, t(73)=0.34, p=.737, or processing speed, t(61)=.412, p=.682. Despite comparable word knowledge and visual processing speed, the mixed language exposure group consistently performed lower than their monolingual counterparts across phonemic, t(74)=2.69, p=.004, semantic, t(73)=2.64, p=.005, and switching, t(67)=2.49, p=.008, verbal fluency trials. Additionally, there were no significant differences between groups in nonverbal switching abilities, t(55)=.234, p=.816, suggesting a unique discrepancy in phonemic fluency, semantic fluency, and verbal fluency switching between mixed language and monolingual groups above and beyond SES, vocabulary, processing speed, and general switching abilities. Conclusions: Consistent with prior literature on the effects of mixed language dominance on verbal fluency outcomes, findings of the study indicate that the mixed language group performed significantly lower across verbal fluency tasks as compared to their monolingual counterparts regardless of comparable SES, vocabulary, processing speed, and switching abilities. This finding suggests that similar to the more general population, mixed language exposure significantly impacts rapid verbal information retrieval among patients with PBT, who are already at higher risk for neuropsychological sequelae. This has implications for monitoring and addressing late effects within this population.

Poster

02/16/2024
03:30 pm - 04:45 pm
Room: Majestic Complex (Posters 61-120)

Poster Session 09: Epilepsy | Oncology | MS | Infectious Disease

Final Abstract #79

Investigating the Effects of Bilingualism on Verbal Fluency Among Pediatric Brain Tumor Patients

Sanya Mital, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States
Rebecca Chiang, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States
Ashley Whitaker, Children's Hospital Los Angeles; Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States

Category: Cancer

Keyword 1: pediatric neuropsychology
Keyword 2: brain tumor
Keyword 3: executive functions

Objective:

Pediatric brain tumor (PBT) survivors are susceptible to neuropsychological late effects following cancer-related treatment, including deficits in verbal fluency (ability to efficiently retrieve information from their lexicon). Recent studies have shown that youth with mixed language exposure to two or more languages are more likely to demonstrate impaired performance on verbal fluency measures as compared to their monolingual counterparts as a result of interference between languages. However, there is limited literature on the relationship between mixed language exposure on verbal fluency among patients with PBT, where risk of impairment is already present. This study investigates the role mixed language exposure plays on verbal fluency among PBT patients and explores potential confounding factors, such as vocabulary and processing speed.

Participants and Methods:

Patients with PBT were administered the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System Verbal Fluency Test or NEPSY-2nd Edition Word Generation subtest based on age. Low socioeconomic status (SES) was more prominent among patients with mixed language exposure based on reported home language(s) when examining the larger sample as a whole, t(103)=4.55, p<.001. Therefore, a subset of monolingual (English) controls was selected to ensure comparable SES between mixed language (Spanish/English) exposure (n=38) and monolingual (n=38) groups. This was to control for SES at the selection phase since lower SES predicts worse outcomes (including poorer verbal fluency) among PBT survivors. The final sample (N=76) ranged from 7-21 years of age (x̄=14.6 years, SD=4.0 years), was 57% male, and identified as Latino (71%), Caucasian (14.5%), or Other (14.5%). Household income was estimated based on zip code (x̄=$66,250, SD=$19,600) and was used as a proxy for SES. Word knowledge and processing speed were assessed using the Wechsler Vocabulary subtest and Processing Speed Index, respectively. General (nonverbal) switching abilities were assessed using the D-KEFS Trail Making Test Trial 4.

Results:

Since monolingual controls were selected based on SES, there were no significant differences in SES between groups, t(74)=1.12, p=.268, and no differences were noted in underlying vocabulary, t(73)=0.34, p=.737, or processing speed, t(61)=.412, p=.682. Despite comparable word knowledge and visual processing speed, the mixed language exposure group consistently performed lower than their monolingual counterparts across phonemic, t(74)=2.69, p=.004, semantic, t(73)=2.64, p=.005, and switching, t(67)=2.49, p=.008, verbal fluency trials. Additionally, there were no significant differences between groups in nonverbal switching abilities, t(55)=.234, p=.816, suggesting a unique discrepancy in phonemic fluency, semantic fluency, and verbal fluency switching between mixed language and monolingual groups above and beyond SES, vocabulary, processing speed, and general switching abilities.

Conclusions:

Consistent with prior literature on the effects of mixed language dominance on verbal fluency outcomes, findings of the study indicate that the mixed language group performed significantly lower across verbal fluency tasks as compared to their monolingual counterparts regardless of comparable SES, vocabulary, processing speed, and switching abilities. This finding suggests that similar to the more general population, mixed language exposure significantly impacts rapid verbal information retrieval among patients with PBT, who are already at higher risk for neuropsychological sequelae. This has implications for monitoring and addressing late effects within this population.