Verbal and deverbal noun production in Slovene native speakers with Alzheimer's diseaseRoumpea, Georgia (Avtor) Manouilidou, Christina (Mentor) deverbal nounsAlzheimer's diseasetranscranial magnetic stimulationnaminglexical processingThe primary motivation for the current dissertation is to investigate Deverbal Nouns (DVNs) in Slovene-speaking individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The investigation focuses on exploring how the complex morphology of DVNs can affect derivation, naming, and lexical processing (acceptability judgment and lexical decision) in AD, given the underlying cognitive impairment of the population. A derivation task, a picture-naming task, an acceptability judgment task (AJT), and a lexical-decision task (LDT) were designed. 18 healthy controls, 4 mild−to−moderate AD and 4 undefined dementia individuals participated in the study. The materials consisted of agent (bralec “reader”) and process (branje “reading”) DVNs, and pseudowords that violated categorial (*čokoladec), thematic (*ljubilec), and aspectual (*prebranje, *storjenje) restrictions on the formation of DVNs. The results from the derivation task revealed a preserved ability to derive DVNs. The picture-naming task revealed difficulties in naming agent-DVNs and process-DVNs. Impaired lexical processing of DVNs was observed in the AJT and in the LDT. In the LDT, categorial constraints were easier to detect compared to the aspectual ones. Executive dysfunction might have interfered with naming and lexical processing of DVNs in AD. The current thesis also investigates the efficacy of repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation treatment in improving naming and lexical processing in mild and moderate AD. A sham-controlled, single-blind study was designed, where high-frequency (10 Hz) rTMS was applied over the left (15 sessions) and right (15 sessions) Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC). The findings showed facilitated naming and lexical processing in mild AD with the effect persisting up to two months post-treatment. No treatment effect was observed in moderate AD. The current findings have implications for our understanding of the nature of language deficits in AD, thereby potentially informing the development of more effective diagnostic tools. The clinical implications relate to designing intervention protocols aimed at delaying the onset of, and/or reducing language impairments in individuals with AD.[G. Roumpea]20262026-10-23 12:07:25Doktorska disertacija190181sl