Losing thought train often tv#

While this is not necessarily the only explanation for what happens in people with a meningioma, it suggests that further attention should be paid in studying the relation between language and cognition in this population. Also, it can be used to support the idea of people with meningiomas having cognitive problems that affect their language, instead of having language problems per se. This experiment highlighted the importance of cognitive aspects, such as working memory when it comes to speaking. The combination of two simultaneous tasks, which limits working memory, caused older adults to use shorter sentences and pause more often. In their study, older adults were asked to listen to noise and speak at the same time. Kemper, Herman and Lian (2003 ) told us about the intricate intertwine between language and cognition. One question that is difficult to answer though is whether those language problems are purely linguistic or if they are the triggered by cognitive problems. Hence, during a conversation, people with a meningioma may lose their train of thought and have problems remembering what has been said or finishing sentences. Indeed, several aspects of language, such as verbal fluency and forming sentences, are known to require cognitive functions such as attention and working memory (Murray, 2012 Hartsuiker & Barkhuysen, 2006). While the underlying mechanism of these problems is not clear yet, it seems that the influence of cognitive problems can provide an explanation (Bommakanti et al., 2016 Campanella et al., 2016 Meskal et al., 2015 Rijnen et al., 2019). Specific to language, meningiomas tend to result in subtle changes, such as problems with finishing sentences and verbal fluency (e.g., naming as many animals as you can in one minute). It is then possible to experience issues with thinking and remembering new information (Bommakanti et al., 2016 Meskal, Gehring, van der Linden, Rutten, & Sitskoorn, 2015) and also having a hard time focusing, for example, during a conversation (Campanella, Skrap, & Vallesi, 2016 Rijnen et al., 2019 ). When meningiomas are large or located near specific brain areas, some subtle symptoms may be noticeable. Figure 1 Drawing of a meningioma pressing the frontal lobe of the brain (Patient Resource LCC, n.d.) Importantly, these tumors can have negative consequences for your daily functioning, including some aspects of cognition and the way you speak (Bommakanti et al., 2016 Rijnen et al., 2019). Indeed, sometimes they are only discovered by accident, when looking for other non-related symptoms (Baldi et al., 2018 Moradi et al., 2008). Because they do not emerge from the brain itself, meningiomas put pressure on the brain and can go unnoticed for years. These are slow-growing tumors emerging from the meninges – thin layers of tissue that cover the brain and spinal cord (see Figure 1).

Meningiomas are common benign brain tumors that affect women two to three times more than men (Baldi et al., 2018).

Interestingly, these language problems led to the discovery of a large meningioma in her brain and its successful removal (Walsh, 2017). It felt like aphasia, but it was not just not being able to find words I would lose my train of thought, I was not able to finish sentences, and that is when I really got alarmed ”.

Losing thought train often tv#

I n a 2017 interview, the famous actress Kate Walsh – whom you may know from the TV show Grey’s anatomy – reported the following: “ I started having more cognitive difficulties. Currently, he is assistant professor at the department of neurolinguistics at the University of Groningen She is currently doing her internship and thesis focusing on language issues in people with brain tumors.Īdrià Rofes holds a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience and an MSc in Clinical Linguistics.

Cheyenne Svaldi is a MA student in the Master’s of Neurolinguistics at the University of Groningen.