{"id":1985,"date":"2019-03-15T23:08:38","date_gmt":"2019-03-15T23:08:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fueldev.site\/~callier\/about-callier\/creating-the-ability-to-connect\/creating-the-ability-to-connect-through-training\/"},"modified":"2019-12-02T13:58:38","modified_gmt":"2019-12-02T19:58:38","slug":"creating-the-ability-to-connect-through-training","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/calliercenter.utdallas.edu\/about-callier\/creating-the-ability-to-connect\/creating-the-ability-to-connect-through-training\/","title":{"rendered":"Creating the Ability to Connect through Training"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Elena Keltner (left), doctoral student in the UT Dallas Communication Sciences and Disorders PhD Program, and Rachel O\u2019Hair, research technician <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s on the tip of my\ntongue!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This idiom is typically exclaimed in frustration, when a person\ncannot think of a word. Occasionally, everyone wrestles with anomia \u2014 the\ninability to recall the right word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis can be really troubling for people who have anomia to\nthe extent that they cannot form sentences or get their thoughts across,\u201d said\nElena Keltner, a doctoral student in the Communication Sciences and Disorders\nPhD program at UT Dallas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under the mentorship of Dr. John Hart, professor and\nDistinguished Chair in Neuroscience, Keltner conducts research that aims to\ndetermine the neural correlates behind a person\u2019s search for semantic object\nmemories \u2014 words or concepts in the brain. Using electroencephalogram (EEG), Keltner monitors a\nresearch participant\u2019s brain and measures the electronic signals that occur\nwhen a person retrieves a word from semantic memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf we can figure out how our brain does this normally, we\ncan figure out what goes wrong in our brain when word-finding difficulties\noccur,\u201d Keltner said. \u201cIf we can do that, we can use the research to help people\nclinically, to create speech therapies backed by research evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In speech-language therapy, when a patient struggles to\nrecall a word such as \u201cpen,\u201d a speech-language pathologist may cue the patient\nby providing a \u201cfeature,\u201d or descriptor, like \u201cink.\u201d Keltner is working to\ndetermine the kinds of features that best and most quickly help patients recall\nwords. Her goal is to translate this research into a speech therapy app that\nassists patients with their semantic retrieval.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cElena\u2019s clinical training in speech-language pathology\ncombined with the neuroscience-based training she will receive as a graduate\nstudent provide her with a novel approach that will enable making unique and\nimpactful advances in patient communication,\u201d Hart said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keltner hopes her research may be used to treat adults with\nanomia caused by conditions including stroke, brain injury or other\ncommunication disorders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt kills me when people can\u2019t talk to their children or\ngrandchildren,\u201d Keltner said. \u201cI want to help people tell their stories and\ncommunicate with their loved ones.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c I want to help people tell their stories and communicate with their loved ones. \u201d <\/p>-\u2013 Elena Keltner, doctoral student, Communication Sciences and Disorders PhD Program <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Stories to Inspire<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
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