The Moroccan Arabic verb and noun test for language mapping (MAVNT-LP) under nTMS and DES

Abstract

To maximize tumor resection and minimize postoperative neurological sequelae, intraoperative Direct Electrical Stimulation (DES) coupled with preoperative Navigated Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (nTMS) is adopted as a more valid procedure when a tumor is located in or near language-positive cortical and subcortical brain areas/networks. To map language functions peri- and intraoperatively, naming tasks are usually administered given their sensitivity and practicality in mapping language networks and their association with positive postoperative outcomes. Linguistic protocols designed for stimulation under nTMS are relatively scarce, and non-existent in the Arabic language. The present study attempts to fill these gaps by presenting the processes of development, piloting, and standardization of the first (Moroccan) Arabic object and action naming protocol for use preoperatively under nTMS, and intraoperatively under DES. The MAVNT-LP was developed in accordance with both DES and nTMS time requirements and was balanced for relevant psycholinguistic as well as intrinsic factors. The test underwent piloting on a population of 10 Moroccan Arabic (MA)-speaking individuals and was validated on a population of 50 participants. The standardized version of the test consisted of 61 nouns and 61 verbs. The 122 items included in the test were named accurately by at least 80% of the participants and had a high naming agreement. Correlations between psycholinguistic factors and lexical retrieval are reported and discussed. The MAVNT-LP was found to be a valid instrument for use in a clinical setting either as a planning tool or as a protocol used to stimulate eloquent brain areas under awake brain surgery.

Keywords:

• Action naming
• DES
• language mapping
• nTMS
• object naming

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank the 60 participants who volunteered to participate in this study for their time, motivation, and willingness to take part in this project despite the COVID-19 pandemic situation. I would also like to thank the two colleagues from the English department at the Faculty of Education for their assistance in establishing norms for verb parameters. Special thanks extend to Mrs. F. Kojmane for delivering valuable feedback and for her endless support and encouragement, and to two anonymous reviewers for constructively commenting on an earlier version of this manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).