Conflict monitoring in mild cognitive impairment: Behavioral, neural, and functional correlates

Conflict monitoring is a critical executive function that enables us to detect and resolve interference between competing demands or responses in day-to-day activities. Most studies examining conflict monitoring processes have utilized experimental paradigms that manipulate perceptual dimensions of stimuli and responses (e.g., shape, color, location). However, in daily life, we are often faced with competing semantic information including activities where communication is required. For instance, following multi-talker conversations, ignoring irrelevant information, and navigating complex or unexpected conversational turns are everyday activities supported by conflict monitoring. While there is evidence for impairment in some executive function processes in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), not much is known related to conflict monitoring and its relationship to functional ability. The goal of this dissertation was to examine behavioral and neurophysiological alterations in conflict monitoring in MCI using a novel semantic conflict monitoring task and to explore how this relates to everyday communication challenges. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the historical background and context leading to this research. Chapter 2 describes the design of two novel picture-word interference (PWI) tasks developed to measure semantic conflict monitoring across different semantic categories. Chapter 3 includes Study 1, which demonstrates the feasibility of using the two PWI tasks to assess behavioral and neural markers of conflict monitoring in a group of neurotypical young adults. Chapter 4 includes Study 2, which compares behavioral and neural measures of conflict monitoring between persons with MCI and cognitively healthy controls. Finally, Chapter 5 includes Study 3, a pilot study that examines self-reported communication difficulties in a small sample of adults with MCI and explores how these difficulties are associated with behavioral and neural measures of semantic conflict monitoring. Chapter 6 discusses the theoretical and clinical significance of the findings from these studies.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Speech & Hearing Science

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2024

Author dc:creator

• Lydon, Elizabeth A

Contributors dc:contributor

• Mudar, Raksha A.
• Llano, Daniel A.
• Mattie, Laura J.
• Rogers, Wendy A.

• Conflict Monitoring
• Eeg
• Mild Cognitive Impairment
• Functional Communication

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2024 Elizabeth Lydon

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/125791

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F125791