Amélie B. Richard
Ph.D. Dissertation
Speech and Oculomotor Features of Cancer-Related Cognitive Impairment
My Ph.D. dissertation sheds light on Cancer-Related Cognitive Impairment (CRCI). This condition refers to a set of cognitive changes reported by cancer patients (excluding cancers of the central nervous system). One of its predominant symptoms is word-finding difficulties. Although it can affect up to 75% of cancer patients, CRCI remains challenging to diagnose using current neuropsychological tests. My dissertation aims to identify speech markers that can detect CRCI, and to better understand its underlying cognitive mechanisms. Forty-four breast cancer survivors and 13 healthy control participants participated in this study. The participants were instructed to tell a picture-based story. Speech productions were recorded and transcribed using semi-automated methods. Speech breaks (i.e., silent pauses, filled pauses, and sustained vowels) were annotated. Fourteen speech parameters were preselected and incorporated into machine learning models. In addition, the oculomotor behavior of 8 survivors and 13 controls was recorded using an eye-tracking technique. Heatmaps were generated based on fixation point coordinates. Finally, all participants underwent a psychological and cognitive evaluation. The relationship between speech data and other variables was examined using Bayesian statistics. Machine learning models identified a subset of three speech markers of CRCI: speech-to-silence ratio, silent pause mean duration, and filled pause mean duration. The combination of these three parameters enabled the classification of breast cancer survivors with CRCI, survivors without cognitive complaints, and controls with an accuracy of 73.7%. Analysis of the eye-tracking data showed a significant delay between the first gaze at an object and its naming in cancer survivors. This result suggests that survivors struggle to access their lexical stock. Moreover, the fixation maps suggest that cognitive deficits in CRCI may be more associated with a deficit in executive control than in memory problems. However, heatmap analyses do not rule out possible attentional deficits affecting lexical search. My dissertation offers new insights into speech-based diagnostic tools. I will extend my research extended through further studies on other cancer types and conditions with subtle cognitive impairment.

Education
Oct. 2022 - June 5, 2025
Ph.D. in Language Science
Fully-funded Ph.D. thesis
Université de Montpellier, Praxiling laboratory CNRS UMR5292, Montpellier, France
Lyon Neuroscience Research Centre, Université de Lyon, CNRS UMR5292, INSERM U1028, Bron, France
2020 - 2022
M.Sc. in Speech-Language Pathology -
Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP)
With distinction
Université Lyon 1
2017 - 2020
B.Sc. in Speech-Language Pathology
Université Lyon 1
Awards & Grants
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3-year Ph.D. grant (2022 - 2025). Doctoral School Selection. French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation. Université de Montpellier Paul-Valéry, Montpellier, France.
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Jury Prize (May 2022). Best poster presentation. Journée Interrégionale d’Onco-Réhabilitation, Lyon, France.