Development of an Adyghe Language-Specific Intraoperative Speech Mapping Test: Research Findings and Clinical Implications

Photo: Dana Khimisheva’s archive

The Experimental Linguistics Laboratory at Adyghe State University, established under the Priority Program, in collaboration with the Center for Language and Brain at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, has completed the data collection and analysis phase of research aimed at developing a diagnostic test for intraoperative speech mapping in the Adyghe language. This tool is intended for use during awake neurosurgical procedures to minimize the risk of speech impairment.

Intraoperative speech mapping enables neurosurgeons to identify and preserve brain regions essential for language functions in real time during tissue resection. For bilingual patients, who possess both shared and distinct language areas across different languages, it is crucial to evaluate each language separately. The development of the Adyghe-specific subtest was a direct response to this clinical necessity.

The research encompassed two main components: a test for object naming and a test for action naming. The latter served as the foundation for the final qualifying project of Dana Khimisheva, a fourth-year student at the Faculty of Foreign Languages at Adyghe State University. Her project was supervised by Susanna Makerova, Doctor of Philology, Professor, and Head of the Laboratory of Experimental Linguistics at ASU. The project is supported by the HSE Center for Language and Brain, led by Olga Dragoy, Doctor of Philology and Professor, and is implemented as part of the Priority Program.