Word-finding Research Articles

A mixed-methods study of cognitive performance in persons with multiple sclerosis: Association between neuropsychological test performance and interviews about daily cognitive functioning

BackgroundCognitive difficulties are commonly reported in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS), however, self-reports of cognition often do not correspond well to objective neuropsychological test performance. The use of qualitative interviews can allow for persons with MS to describe in more detail how their cognitive function is impacted in daily life while also taking into consideration personal and environmental influences. No study to our knowledge has examined the association between objective neuropsychological test performance and qualitative interview reports of daily cognitive function. Such information could help explain the reported lack of correspondence between these two methods of evaluating cognitive function in MS. ObjectiveTo investigate the relationship between objective neuropsychological test performance and qualitative interview reported daily cognitive function in persons with MS . MethodsConvergent parallel mixed-methods design whereby 12 persons with MS (mean age= 47, 9 female, 7 relapsing-remitting MS) took part in a 2-hour neuropsychological assessment [including the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS)] followed by a semi-structured qualitative interview probing daily cognitive functioning. Interview data were analysed using thematic analysis. Interview codes and themes were compared with neuropsychological performance on respective cognitive domains and between those with and without cognitive impairment on the BICAMS. ResultsBased on the qualitative interview data, the most commonly reported difficulties were related to memory, word finding, and processing speed but only 43%, 0%, and 33% of the individuals reporting these deficits actually demonstrated impairment on the respective/ corresponding neuropsychological measures. Eleven of the twelve participants reported the use of strategies to manage cognitive difficulties. The most frequently reported strategies used were related to fatigue management. Personal (age, fatigue) and environmental factors (pressure of daily responsibilities, availability of support) were reported as influencers of daily cognitive function. Three of the 12 participants were classified as cognitively impaired on the BICAMS but they did not differ from those who were non-impaired with respect to use of strategies, and influence of personal and environmental factors on daily cognitive functioning. ConclusionsInterview-reported daily cognitive difficulties did not correspond well to objective neuropsychological performance. Greater emphasis should be placed on utilizing and developing objective neuropsychological measures that have greater sensitivity, particularly to word finding difficulties in MS, and to the incorporation of personal and environmental factors into the interpretation of neuropsychological test results. As almost all participants reported the use of cognitive strategies, we feel greater emphasis needs to be placed on patient education of evidence-based strategies, particularly focused on highly reported impacted word finding and processing speed abilities.

NUVA: A Naming Utterance Verifier for Aphasia Treatment

Anomia (word-finding difficulties) is the hallmark of aphasia, an acquired language disorder most commonly caused by stroke. Assessment of speech performance using picture naming tasks is a key method for both diagnosis and monitoring of responses to treatment interventions by people with aphasia (PWA). Currently, this assessment is conducted manually by speech and language therapists (SLT). Surprisingly, despite advancements in automatic speech recognition (ASR) and artificial intelligence with technologies like deep learning, research on developing automated systems for this task has been scarce. Here we present NUVA, an utterance verification system incorporating a deep learning element that classifies 'correct' versus' incorrect' naming attempts from aphasic stroke patients. When tested on eight native British-English speaking PWA the system's performance accuracy ranged between 83.6% to 93.6%, with a 10-fold cross-validation mean of 89.5%. This performance was not only significantly better than a baseline created for this study using one of the leading commercially available ASRs (Google speech-to-text service) but also comparable in some instances with two independent SLT ratings for the same dataset.

Convergence of heteromodal lexical retrieval in the lateral prefrontal cortex

Lexical retrieval requires selecting and retrieving the most appropriate word from the lexicon to express a desired concept. Few studies have probed lexical retrieval with tasks other than picture naming, and when non-picture naming lexical retrieval tasks have been applied, both convergent and divergent results emerged. The presence of a single construct for auditory and visual processes of lexical retrieval would influence cognitive rehabilitation strategies for patients with aphasia. In this study, we perform support vector regression lesion-symptom mapping using a brain tumor model to test the hypothesis that brain regions specifically involved in lexical retrieval from visual and auditory stimuli represent overlapping neural systems. We find that principal components analysis of language tasks revealed multicollinearity between picture naming, auditory naming, and a validated measure of word finding, implying the existence of redundant cognitive constructs. Nonparametric, multivariate lesion-symptom mapping across participants was used to model accuracies on each of the four language tasks. Lesions within overlapping clusters of 8,333 voxels and 21,512 voxels in the left lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) were predictive of impaired picture naming and auditory naming, respectively. These data indicate a convergence of heteromodal lexical retrieval within the PFC.

One cat, two cats, red cat, blue cats: eliciting morphemes from individuals with primary progressive aphasia

ABSTRACT Background: Progressive neurodegenerative impairment with central language features, primary progressive aphasia (PPA), can be further distinguished for many individuals into one of three variants: semantic, non-fluent/agrammatic, and logopenic variant PPA. Variants differ in their relative preservation and deficits of language skills, particularly in word finding and grammar. The majority of elicited language assessments used in this population focus on single noun and verb production, while modifiers and inflectional morphemes are far less commonly examined. Aims: The purpose of the present study is to determine whether there was an interaction between PPA variant and production of high-frequency nouns, proper names, modifiers, and bound inflectional morphemes to better understand how the variants differ. Methods & Procedures: Forty-six people with PPA and 47 individuals with no known neurological diagnoses completed a morphosyntactic generation assessment designed to target differential production of high-frequency nouns, proper names, modifiers (number, size, color), and bound inflectional morphemes (plural -s and possessive ’s), the Morphosyntactic Generation test (MorGen). Performance is averaged for each of the seven morphosyntactic targets independently, resulting in seven separate performance scores. Outcomes & Results: Individuals with PPA performed significantly more poorly than controls on the assessed morphemes in a repeated-measures analysis of variance, as well as on each morpheme considered independently via t-test. In a multivariable analysis of variance among PPA variants, the interaction of morpheme and PPA variant was significant, suggesting different variants produced the morphemes with a significantly different pattern of success. When morphemes were considered independently, only production of colour resulted in a significant difference between variants, driven by the performance of individuals with nfavPPA, who performed near-ceiling. When MorGen performance was used to predict PPA variant in a multinomial logistic regression the model was significant, with age, plural -s, noun, and number contributing significantly to the prediction. In a discriminate function analysis, classification of cases was best for agrammatic variant with 70% accuracy. Conclusions: Individuals with PPA, particularly semantic and logopenic variants, demonstrated difficulty on the MorGen compared to controls. The MorGen proved useful in predicting PPA variant. These findings highlight the potential benefit of examining a broader range of morphemes, particularly bound morphemes and modifiers, in addition to the more frequently investigated classes of nouns and verbs when understanding PPA.

Cerebral metastasis of Merkel cell carcinoma following resection with negative margins and adjuvant external beam radiation: a case report

BackgroundMerkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare and aggressive neuroendocrine tumor of the skin. It is associated with advanced age, ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and Merkel cell polyomavirus. It has a predilection for the lymphatic system, but rarely spreads to the central nervous system.Case presentationA 71-year-old Caucasian man with a history of rheumatoid arthritis and MCC of the right lower eyelid and cheek presented with left-sided hemineglect and word-finding difficulty. Twenty months earlier he had undergone local excision of a 3 cm lesion with negative margins, negative sentinel lymph node biopsy, and external beam radiation. On presentation he was found to have a 6.3 cm mass in the right frontotemporal region. He underwent prompt resection, with pathological analysis consistent with metastatic MCC. He subsequently underwent stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and adjunctive immunotherapy with pembrolizumab. He has since tolerated the therapy well and is currently without neurological symptoms or evidence of recurrence.ConclusionsCerebral metastasis of MCC is a rare event and should be considered when a patient with a history of MCC presents with neurological symptoms. Optimal treatment regimens of these rare cases are unclear; however, prompt resection, stereotactic radiosurgery, and adjunctive immunotherapy have shown an initial positive response in this patient.

The Cologne Picture Naming Test for Language Mapping and Monitoring (CoNaT): An Open Set of 100 Black and White Object Drawings.

Language assessment using a picture naming task crucially relies on the interpretation of the given verbal response by the rater. To avoid misinterpretations, a language-specific and linguistically controlled set of unambiguous, clearly identifiable and common object–word pairs is mandatory. We, here, set out to provide an open-source set of black and white object drawings, particularly suited for language mapping and monitoring, e.g., during awake brain tumour surgery or transcranial magnetic stimulation, in German language. A refined set of 100 black and white drawings was tested in two consecutive runs of randomised picture order and was analysed in respect of correct, prompt, and reliable object recognition and naming in a series of 132 healthy subjects between 18 and 84 years (median 25 years, 64% females) and a clinical pilot cohort of 10 brain tumour patients (median age 47 years, 80% males). The influence of important word- and subject-related factors on task performance and reliability was investigated. Overall, across both healthy subjects and patients, excellent correct object naming rates (97 vs. 96%) as well as high reliability coefficients (Goodman–Kruskal's gamma = 0.95 vs. 0.86) were found. However, the analysis of variance revealed a significant, overall negative effect of low word frequency (p < 0.05) and high age (p < 0.0001) on task performance whereas the effect of a low educational level was only evident for the subgroup of 72 or more years of age (p < 0.05). Moreover, a small learning effect was observed across the two runs of the test (p < 0.001). In summary, this study provides an overall robust and reliable picture naming tool, optimised for the clinical use to map and monitor language functions in patients. However, individual familiarisation before the clinical use remains advisable, especially for subjects that are comparatively prone to spontaneous picture naming errors such as older subjects of low educational level and patients with clinically apparent word finding difficulties.

Huntington disease-like phenotype in a patient with ANO3 mutation

A 71-year-old previously well white British female developed progressive involuntary tongue movements over one year, resulting in eating difficulty and 10 kg weight loss. She had also noted involuntary perioral, facial and distal limb movements beginning 18 months earlier. These had progressively worsened. In the 3 years prior to presentation, she reported subjective memory decline, word finding difficulty and depressed mood, which improved with mirtazapine 30 mg once daily. She had no history of neuroleptic exposure.

Outcomes of semantic feature analysis treatment for aphasia with and without apraxia of speech.

To date, studies have not explored whether a dual diagnosis of aphasia plus apraxia of speech (AOS) versus aphasia alone (APH) affects the response to language-based naming treatments. To compare the effects of semantic feature analysis (SFA) treatment for individuals with APH versus aphasia plus AOS, and to test if the presence of AOS impacted the effects of treatment. A non-randomized experimental group study was conducted to explore the treatment, generalization and maintenance effects between the AOS and APH groups. Participants included nine individuals with aphasia and 11 with concomitant aphasia and AOS. Dependent measures included lexical accuracy, number of sound-level distortions, and lexical stress and syllable segmentation errors. Both groups showed significantly improved naming accuracy of trained items for up to 2 months post-treatment. Improvement on naming accuracy of untrained items post-treatment, both semantically related and unrelated to trained items, was lower in magnitude. That this may have been due to effects of repeated probing (which included target repetition) or regression to the mean cannot be excluded. There was a tendency for the AOS group to respond slightly better to treatment than the APH group overall, which was not correlated with aphasia severity. Also, measures of phonetic accuracy and fluency improved for both groups, with no main effect of group. Treatment effects did not generalize to formal measures of (untrained) picture naming or expression of correct information units in discourse in a story retelling task. Findings indicate that individuals with aphasia plus AOS can gain equivalent benefits in word retrieval and production from the language-based SFA treatment as individuals with aphasia alone. This may be, in part, due to the tendency for SFA to incorporate principles of practice that are known to support motor learning in AOS, such as high intensity, random stimulus presentation and variable practice. Findings provide further support for high-intensity practice and use of self-generated features to facilitate maintenance of effects. What this paper adds What is already known on the subject SFA treatment is the most common intervention for word-finding difficulties for individuals with aphasia. AOS is a common concomitant disorder to aphasia. However, it is not clear whether the effects of language-based SFA treatment are mitigated by the presence of AOS, which tends to respond well to treatments focused on articulatory-kinematic aspects of speech movement. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge This study compares the effects of SFA in a group of individuals with aphasia alone and a group with similar severity of aphasia but with concomitant AOS, ranging from mild to moderate-severe. Overall, AOS did not have a negative effect on response to the treatment. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? Individuals with aphasia plus AOS can be expected to benefit to a similar degree from SFA as people with aphasia alone. It is likely that the use of practice principles of high intensity, random stimulus presentation and varied practice are important components of the protocol.

Sentence Recall in Latent and Anomic Aphasia: An Exploratory Study of Semantics and Syntax.

We investigated whether semantic plausibility and syntactic complexity affect immediate sentence recall in people with latent and anomic aphasia. To date, these factors have not been explored in these types of aphasia. As with previous studies of sentence recall, we measured accuracy of verbatim recall and uniquely real-time speech measures. The results showed that accuracy did not distinguish performance between latent aphasia and neurotypical controls. However, some of the real-time speech measures distinguished performance between people with latent aphasia and neurotypical controls. There was some evidence, though not pervasive, that semantic plausibility and syntactic complexity influenced recall performance. There were no interactions between semantic plausibility and syntactic complexity. The speed of preparation of responses was slower in latent aphasia than controls; it was also slower in anomic aphasia than both latent and control groups. It appears that processing speed as indexed by temporal speech measures may be differentially compromised in latent and anomic aphasia. However, semantic plausibility and syntactic complexity did not show clear patterns of performance among the groups. Notwithstanding the absence of interactions, we advance an explanation based on conceptual short-term memory as to why semantically implausible sentences are typically more erroneous and possibly also slower in recall.

57-Year-Old Woman With Weakness and Word-Finding Difficulties

57-Year-Old Woman With Weakness and Word-Finding Difficulties

The Investigation of Anomic Aphasia’s cases by using Noam Chomsky’s distinction between Competence and Performance

The Investigation of Anomic Aphasia’s cases by using Noam Chomsky’s distinction between Competence and Performance

Marginal assessment of the cost and benefits of aphasia treatment: Evidence from community-based telerehabilitation treatment for aphasia

Introduction Few studies have reported information related to the cost-effectiveness of traditional face-to-face treatments for aphasia. The emergence and demand for telepractice approaches to aphasia treatment has resulted in an urgent need to understand the costs and cost-benefits of this approach. Methods Eighteen stroke survivors with aphasia completed community-based aphasia telerehabilitation treatment, utilizing the Language-Oriented Treatment (LOT) delivered via Webex videoconferencing program. Marginal benefits to treatment were calculated as the change in Western Aphasia Battery-Revised (WAB-R) score pre- and post-treatment and marginal cost of treatment was calculated as the relationship between change in WAB-R aphasia quotient (AQ) and the average cost per treatment. Controlling for demographic variables, Bayesian estimation evaluated the primary contributors to WAB-R change and assessed cost-effectiveness of treatment by aphasia type. Results Thirteen out of 18 participants experienced significant improvement in WAB-R AQ following telerehabilitation delivered therapy. Compared to anomic aphasia (reference group), those with conduction aphasia had relatively similar levels of improvement whereas those with Broca’s aphasia had smaller improvement. Those with global aphasia had the largest improvement. Each one-point of improvement cost between US$89 and US$864 for those who improved (mean = US$200) depending on aphasia type/severity. Discussion Individuals with severe aphasia may have the greatest gains per unit cost from treatment. Both improvement magnitude and the cost per unit of improvement were driven by aphasia type, severity and race. Economies of scale to aphasia treatment–cost may be minimized by treating a variety of types of aphasia at various levels of severity.

What are the factors that may influence the implementation of self-managed computer therapy for people with long term aphasia following stroke? A qualitative study of speech and language therapists’ experiences in the Big CACTUS trial

Purpose To explore speech and language therapists’ (SLT) experiences of delivering therapy using a computerised self-management approach within a pragmatic trial, in order to identify and understand key factors that may influence the implementation of computerised approaches to rehabilitation for aphasia in routine practice. Methods Qualitative semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with eleven SLTs delivering computer therapy in the multisite Big CACTUS trial. The interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis in NVivo11. Results Five themes with implications for implementation emerged: 1) characteristics of the intervention: complexity and adaptability 2) knowledge and beliefs about the intervention: familiarity with computers and the benefits of training; 3) patient needs and the service resource dilemma: “is there anything I can be doing on my computer at home?”; 4) networks and communications; 5) reflecting and evaluating: adaptations for sustainability. Conclusions Personalisation, feedback and volunteer/assistant support were viewed as benefits of this complex intervention. However, the same benefits required resources including therapist time in learning to use software, procuring it, personalising it, working with volunteers/assistants, and building relationships with IT departments which formed barriers to implementation. The discussion highlights the need to consider integration of computer and face-to-face therapy to support implementation and potentially optimise patient outcomes. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION Benefits of the self-managed computer approach to word finding therapy evaluated in the Big CACTUS trial included the ability to personalise content, to provide feedback, and provide support with volunteers or assistants depending on availability in different clinical contexts to enable repetitive self-managed practice of word finding. Whilst use of computer therapy approaches can facilitate self-management of practice and increased therapy hours in an efficient manner, services need to consider the resources required to implement and support the approach: costs of software and hardware SLT time required to learn to use the software, tailor and personalise it and manage volunteers/assistants. Readiness for successful adoption of computer approaches requires building of relationships and mutual understanding of requirements between SLT and IT departments within an organisation. For time efficiency, it is recommended that SLTs providing self-managed computer therapy approaches pilot the approach with each individual to check patient ability and engagement before fully investing SLT time in personalisation and tailoring of software.

Pattern of cortical thinning in logopenic progressive aphasia patients in Thailand

BackgroundLogopenic progressive aphasia (LPA) is an uncommon neurodegenerative disorder primarily characterized by word-finding difficulties and sentence repetition impairment. Prominent cortical atrophy around left temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) is a classical imaging feature of LPA. This study investigated cortical thinning pattern in clinically diagnosed LPA patients using non-demented subjects as a control group. We also aimed to explore whether there was prominent thinning of other cortical area additional to the well-recognized left TPJ.MethodsThicknesses of all cortical regions were measured from brain magnetic resonance images using an automated command on Freesurfer software. Cortical thickness of the LPA and control groups were compared by two methods: 1) using a general linear model (GLM) in SPSS software; and 2) using a vertex-by-vertex GLM, performed with Freesurfer’s QDEC interface.ResultsBesides the well-recognized left TPJ, cortical regions that were significantly thinner in the LPA group by both comparison methods included left caudal middle frontal gyrus (CMFG) (p = 0.006 by SPSS, p = 0.0003 by QDEC), left rostral middle frontal gyrus (p = 0.001 by SPSS, p = 0.0001 by QDEC), left parahippocampal gyrus (p = 0.008 by SPSS, p = 0.005 by QDEC) and right CMFG (p = 0.005 by SPSS, p = 0.0001 by QDEC).ConclusionsOur results demonstrated that thinning of middle frontal gyri may be an additional feature in clinically diagnosed LPA patients. Involvement of left parahippocampal gyrus may reflect the underlying neuropathology of Alzheimer’s disease in majority of the LPA patients.

ERPS AS AN INDEX OF IMPAIRED COGNITIVE CONTROL IN AN ISCHEMIC BRAIN STROKE APHASIC PATIENT

Stroke is a sudden-onset neurological deficit resulting from focal vascular lesions. This is either due to a clot-induced obstruction of a vessel (ischemic stroke) or a rupture of a vessel causing haemorrhage (hemorrhagic stroke). The appropriate diagnosis of brain stroke aphasic patients is a major public health problem one so important for effective rehabilitation. Here an important role is played by the diagnosis of impaired cognitive processes. The aim of the research was to find the index of impaired cognitive control with the use of ERPs in a patient following an ischemic stroke with aphasia. A male patient, aged 69, after an ischemic brain stroke experienced 4 months previously with resulting naming problem, was admitted to the Reintegrative and Teaching Center of the Polish Neuropsychological Society. In the neuropsychological evaluation three neuropsychological tests were employed: (a) the Boston Naming Test-Polish version, to evaluate the naming and word finding problem; (b) the nonverbal Bell test to ascertain a selective, visuospatial and strategic attentional evaluation; (c) the Digit Memory test to evaluate working memory capabilities; (d) ERPs as a neurophys- iological index of impaired cognitive control. Significant changes were observed in testing. All cognitive functions including naming, non- verbal, visuospatial and strategic attention, along with the digit memory deviate substantially from the norm. The patient obtained a lo wer score, compared to the norm (p &lt;0.05). Boston Naming Test (patient = 21&lt; Mean-Norm = 57.29; SD= 0.52). Bell test (patient = 23 &lt; Mean-Norm = 31.29; SD= 2.52). Digit Memory Test scores: Forward digit span (patient = 3 &lt; Mean-Norm = 7.65, SD = 0.49). Backward digit span (patient = 2 &lt;Mean-Norm = 6.51, SD = 0.7). Significant changes were observed also in neurophysiological testing: behavioral parameters (except RT) deviate substantially from the reference. EEG spectra show clear abnormalities on the left side within the left Rolandic fis- sure. The deviations include excessive mu-rhythm and beta activity, which means that this area is inhibited. The ERPs show no difference between GO and NOGO conditions in the patient in comparison to the norm from HBI database indicating poor cognitive control. ERPs could be treated as an index of impaired cognitive control in the ischemic stroke aphasic patient.

Amoxicillin-Induced Meningoencephalitis: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Amoxicillin is one of the most frequently prescribed antibiotics for common bacterial infections in the primary care setting. Although being considered one of the safest drugs, amoxicillin can induce a rare hypersensitivity reaction with direct leptomeningeal irritation leading to drug-induced aseptic meningoencephalitis (DIAM). Given its rare incidence and poorly elucidated risk factors, amoxicillin-induced aseptic meningoencephalitis remains a diagnostic challenge. We report here the case of an 82-year-old male who presented to our emergency department with fever and cellulitis on the left foot. Antibiotic therapy with amoxicillin-clavulanate was established. Two days after admission, the patient developed frontal headaches, nausea, photophobia, and nuchal rigidity, while remaining febrile. In addition, intermittent episodes of amnesic aphasia, confusion, and agitation were observed. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis revealed mononuclear-predominant pleocytosis, without detecting a causative pathogen by culture or PCR screening. Repeated and focused exploration of the patient's medical history unraveled a similar episode of severe cephalgia with mononuclear-predominant pleocytosis on CSF analysis after the intake of amoxicillin-clavulanate 15 years before the current presentation. The combination of clinical signs for leptomeningeal irritation following ingestion of a distinct medication and the lack of evidence for a causative pathogen on CSF analysis, were suggestive of DIAM. DIAM is most commonly caused by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics and intravenous immunoglobulins. DIAM remains a diagnosis of exclusion. Its pathomechanism is still not completely understood. Our illustrative case emphasizes the key points of this rare but important diagnosis. In the context of our report, we review all published cases of amoxicillin-induced meningoencephalitis. Our case report may increase the awareness of this challenging diagnosis.

A Case Report of Anomic Aphasia after Putaminal Hemorrhage Improved by Korean Medical Treatment Including Head Acupuncture

Aphasia is a language disorder that results from brain damage and typically occurs after a stroke. The purpose of this case report was to describe the effects of Korean medical treatment on anomic aphasia after a putaminal hemorrhage. We used Korean medical treatment, including head acupuncture and herbal medicine (Hyungbangsabaek-san) therapy, on a patient who was admitted to the hospital for 19 days. The clinical symptoms were assessed with the Korean version of the Western Aphasia Battery (K-WAB), and quality of life was evaluated with Korean version of Stroke and Aphasia Quality of Life Scale-39 (K-SAQOL-39). After 19 days of treatment, the K-WAB scores were increased from 17 to 19 in the spontaneous speech score, from 7.55 to 9.85 in the comprehension score, from 9 to 9.4 in the speaking score, and from 5.8 to 9.7 in the naming score. The AQ score was increased from 78.7 to 95.9, and the K-SAQOL-3 score was increased from 2.64 to 3.26. In conclusion, the study findings suggested that Korean medical treatment could be an effective option for treating symptoms and improving quality of life in patients with aphasia after stroke. Keywords: aphasia, anomic aphasia, stroke, head acupuncture, Korean medical treatment

"의미 단서가 명칭실어증자의 명명하기에 미치는 영향 "

본 연구는 명명하기과제 수행에서 단계별 의미단서가 명명하기능력에 미치는 영향을 알아보는데 그 목적이 있다. 이를 위해 실어증지수와 유형을 일치시킨 명칭실어증 환자 33명을 대상으로 분석하였다. 명명하기과제에서 기존의 K-BNT 의미단서와 단계별 의미단서를 제공하여 3단계로 구성된 의미단서 간의 정반응 점수에 차이가 있는지를 분석하였다. 그 결과 첫째, 명칭실어증자의 명명하기에서 단계별 의미단서가 K-BNT 의미단서에 비해 이름대기 수행력이 증가하였다. 둘째, 세 단계로 구성된 단계별 의미단서간의 정반응 점수를 분석한 결과, 단계별 의미단서에서 유의한 차이가 나타났다. 이러한 결과를 통해, 단계별 의미단서는 명명하기 수행력 향상에 효과적이라는 것을 의미한다. 향후 다양한 낱말들의 위계성이 반영된 단계별 의미체계가 구축된다면 실어증자의 명명하기 수행력 향상에 도움을 줄 수 있을 것으로 사료된다.

Performance on the Picture Description Tasks in Patients with Late Dementia of the Alzheimer’s Type

Linguistic problems such as word finding difficulties, writing disorders, problems in phonetic and syntactic use are one of the most important problems seen in individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Compared to late onset, early onset dementia patients experience these problems at a faster rate. However; the linguistic abilities of LAD patients are quite similar to the healthy people. In this study, the picture description performance of late onset AD patients and healthy people were compared in terms of affirmative, negative and interrogative sentence structures. According to the results, there is a significant difference within groups. Late onset AD patients produced more declarative and interrogative sentences in picnic picture description test.

Performance on the Picture Description Tasks in Patients with Late Dementia of the Alzheimer’s Type

Linguistic problems such as word finding difficulties, writing disorders, problems in phonetic and syntactic use are one of the most important problems seen in individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Compared to late onset, early onset dementia patients experience these problems at a faster rate. However; the linguistic abilities of LAD patients are quite similar to the healthy people. In this study, the picture description performance of late onset AD patients and healthy people were compared in terms of affirmative, negative and interrogative sentence structures. According to the results, there is a significant difference within groups. Late onset AD patients produced more declarative and interrogative sentences in picnic picture description test.