Communication, cognition and auditory processing: evidence of intersection in cases of right brain damage

Abstract

Research on (central) auditory processing ((C)AP) aim at studying central auditory abilities. Neuropsychology focuses on the study of cognitive, communicative and emotional functions, as well as on their relationship with neurobiological bases. This article aimed to compare two right-brain-damaged (RBD) case studies with different communicative impairments when it comes to their performance in (C)AP as well as in a brief cognitive assessment. Two cases of adults with RBD, differentiated by their contrasting communicative profile, classified by a cluster study, were evaluated by a (C)AP battery and a brief cognitive assessment. Case 1 had a better (C)AP and neuropsychological perfomance, differently from case 2, with a lower performance. Through intertests analysis, simple and double dissociations were observed. Moreover, performance in (C)AP battery of the case 2 was influenced by the presence of auditory and visual hemineglect. This study contributed to improve the reflexion about the interface between (C)AP evaluation and neuropsychological assessment.