Confrontation Naming Ability Research Articles

Validity and reliability of the Thai Adaptation of Naming Test-Revised (TANT-Revised)

Background: The Thai Adaptation of Naming Test (TANT) is useful for assessing naming ability among Thais with naming deficits. However, the TANT was developed in 2004, meaning some words have become less common. Consequently, the TANT was revised for modernity and suitability for the current Thai cultural context and to measure the psychological properties. Objectives: To assess the validity and reliability of the Thai Adaptation of Naming Test-Revised (TANT-Revised). Materials and methods: The TANT was revised by adjusting certain items for suitability to the current Thai cultural context, consisting of 2 parts: Pictures of words and semantic cues. Subsequently, the TANT-Revised was assessed for content validity index (CVI), content validity for the item (I-CVI), and content validity Index for scale (S-CVI) test by five expert speech-language pathologists (SLPs). Afterward, the TANT-Revised was examined for test-retest reliability by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) in an aphasia group and a normal group, with 13 people per group. Results: The results of testing for the validity of TANT-Revised by expert SLPs revealed that the validity for pictures (CVI = 0.96, S-CVI = 0.99, and I-CVI = 1) and semantic cues (CVI = 0.95, S-CVI = 0.99, and I-CVI = 1) have high reliability in the normal group at 0.79 and the aphasia group at 0.96. Conclusion: This study assessed the psychological properties of the TANT-Revised instrument used to test naming ability. The validity of the revision test was high, and the TANT-Revised was deemed acceptable by experts. In addition, the test-retest reliability of TANT-Revised was high in both the normal and aphasia groups, implying the TANT-Revised is an efficient instrument for confrontation naming ability. However, this study was a preliminary test revision, and insufficient norm data and factors are affecting the test score.

Age-related Differences in Confrontation Naming Ability according to Visual Stimulus Valence

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of emotions on the confrontation naming of healthy elders and young adults.Methods: The study had a total of 60 subjects (30 elders and 30 young adults). In the confrontation naming task, the researcher asked the subjects to say the name of the picture presented on a screen as quickly and accurately as possible.Results: First, the results of the study showed significantly lower accuracy in the elders compared to the young adults and a significant difference in accuracy according to emotional valence. There was a significant difference between positive and neutral emotional valance and between negative and neutral emotional valance. Additionally, the interaction between the group and emotional valence was statistically significant. The post-hoc test showed that the naming accuracy of the elders was lower than that of the young in the negative emotional valance. Secondly, elders had a longer response time than the young adults. Also, there was a significant difference in response time according to emotional valence. There was a significant difference in response time in three emotional valences (positive, negative, neutral), and the response time increased in neutral < positive < negative. Finally, the interaction between the group and emotional valence was statistically significant, which attributed to the longer response time of the elders compared to the young adults in the positive and negative emotional valance.Conclusion: The study results suggest that emotional valence may interfere with word production, and that such interference may be greater for the elderly than for the young.

Evaluation of treatment effects of semantic feature analysis on mild anomia in multiple sclerosis

ABSTRACT Background : Multiple sclerosis (MS) commonly includes anomia and other communicative deficits that affect communicative participation and quality of life. Anomia treatment in MS is currently unexplored. Owing to the degenerative nature of MS, compensatory treatment might be preferable to restorative treatment. Semantic feature analysis (SFA) has been reported to have a treatment effect in aphasia and traumatic brain injury, and it can also be used as a compensatory word-finding strategy. SFA might therefore be effective on anomia in MS. Aims : The aim of this study was to evaluate the treatment effects of SFA on mild anomia in MS. Hypotheses were that, if used as a strategy, SFA may improve word-retrieval ability in connected speech, reduce self-perceived word-finding difficulties and increase communicative participation. Methods & Procedures : Two participants (one with relapsing-remitting MS, one with progressive MS) experiencing anomia and reduced communicative participation took part in this early-phase study with a single-case experimental design (SCED). Outcome measures included accuracy and speed in confrontation naming of treated items, correct information units (CIUs) in a re-telling task, self-reported strategy use in everyday communication, self-reported occurrence of anomia and related nuisance, and self-reported communicative participation. Measurements were carried out before treatment, at the beginning of every third treatment session, once directly after treatment, repeatedly during a maintenance phase, and once at a follow-up session ten weeks after treatment. Outcomes & Results : No treatment effects on confrontation-naming ability, re-telling ability or self-reported measures were evident in either participant after treatment with SFA. Effects of repeated measures appeared as reduced response time in confrontation naming. Conclusions : SFA as the sole element of treatment may not be sufficient to obtain treatment effects on mild anomia in MS. Further research is warranted.

Lateralizing magnetic resonance imaging findings in mesial temporal sclerosis and correlation with seizure and neurocognitive outcome after temporal lobectomy

BackgroundMesial temporal sclerosis (MTS) is the most common cause of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). While MTS is associated with a high cure rate after temporal lobectomy (TL), postoperative neurocognitive deficits are common, and a subset of patients may continue to have refractory seizures. ObjectiveTo use magnetic resonance (MR) volumetry to identify features of the mesial temporal lobe in patients with MTS that correlate with seizure and neurocognitive outcome after temporal lobectomy. MethodsThirty-five patients with unilateral MTS, high-resolution MR imaging, and at least one year of postoperative assessments were retrospectively examined. Volumetric analysis of the hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus (PHG) and FLAIR hyperintensity of the affected temporal lobe was performed. TL resections were manually segmented, and resection heat maps reflecting seizure outcome were produced. The degree of preoperative atrophy of the affected mesial structures relative to the unaffected side were related to preoperative and postoperative component scores of verbal and visuospatial memory as well as confrontation naming. ResultsGreater FLAIR hyperintense volume was associated with favorable seizure outcome at one year and last follow-up. Resections extending most medial and posteriorly were associated with favorable seizure outcome. In patients with left MTS, less atrophy of the affected PHG was predictive of higher preoperative naming scores and greater postoperative naming deficit, while less hippocampal atrophy was predictive of higher preoperative verbal memory component scores. ConclusionGreater hippocampal FLAIR volume is associated with favorable surgical outcome. Hippocampal volume correlates with preoperative verbal memory, while PHG volume is implicated in confrontation naming ability.

Fibrinogen Levels and Cognitive Profile Differences in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment

Background: Fibrinogen is considered a marker of vascular pathology, indicating a weakened blood-brain barrier, and has a causative role in neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. Little is known about the relationship between fibrinogen levels and cognitive function in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We aimed to investigate differences in cognitive profiles according to plasma fibrinogen levels in patients with MCI and the influence of plasma fibrinogen levels on cognitive decline. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 643 patients with MCI: 323 patients in the high fibrinogen (high fib) group and 320 patients in the low fibrinogen (low fib) group. A multiple linear regression model was performed to compare cognitive test performance between groups. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to analyze the hazard ratio of fibrinogen level for disease progression. Results: The high fib group demonstrated poorer performance in attention, executive function, and confrontation naming than the low fib group. After adjustment for APOE genotype, the high fib group was associated with poor attention and executive function. After adjustment for vascular risk factors including body mass index, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and smoking history, the high fib group showed declined attention and confrontation naming ability. High fibrinogen levels did not predict disease progression to CDR 1. Conclusion: High plasma fibrinogen levels were associated with poor performance in attention in patients with MCI, regardless of APOE genotype or vascular risk factors.

Word-finding in confrontation naming and picture descriptions produced by individuals with early post-stroke aphasia

Objective: The present study aims to assess the relationship between quantitative measures of connected speech production and performance in confrontation naming in early post-stroke aphasia (8-14 days post-stroke). Method: We collected connected speech samples elicited by a picture description task and administered a confrontation naming task to 20 individuals with early post-stroke aphasia and 20 healthy controls. Transcriptions were made in compliance with the CHAT format guidelines. Several micro- (i.e. duration, total number of words, words per minute, mean length of utterances, ratio of open- to closed-class words and noun-to-verb ratio, VOC-D, repetitions, self-corrections, and phonological and semantic errors) and macrolinguistic (i.e. informativeness and efficiency) measures were extracted. Results: We provide evidence for the presence of impairments in an array of micro- and macrolinguistic measures of speech in individuals with early post-stroke aphasia. We show that in the patient group, confrontation naming abilities most strongly relate to informativeness in a picture description task. Conclusion: Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between performance in confrontation naming and in connected speech production in the first days after stroke onset and also suggest that discourse analysis may provide unique, possibly more complex information.

Neuropsychological Considerations of the Cultural and Linguistic Challenges of Working with a Bilingual/Bicultural Patient with Multiple System Atrophy (MSA): A Case Report.

Abstract Objective This case highlights the importance of understanding bilingualism, English as a second language (ESL), immigration as an older adult, and acculturation, in light of neuropsychological test results of an individual with MSA. Case Description Mrs. X is a right-handed, 73-year-old, South African woman. Her first language is Afrikaans while her second language is English. She has a history of MSA (2015). She reported a significant decline in her previously mastered English fluency. Challenges with language (i.e., reading comprehension, conversation), focus, balance, and activities of daily living, bilateral arm jerks, and difficulties with ambulation, Pisa Syndrome (left), loss of appetite, incontinence, fluctuating temperature, depression, personality changes, and suspected auditory hallucinations were also expressed. Diagnostic Impressions and Outcomes The neurocognitive findings indicated global impairment. Aside from an average score in her reading recognition, and low-average in a test of mental flexibility, Mrs. X had impairment in attention, learning, immediate and delayed memory, executive functioning, receptive and expressive language, confrontation naming, and visuospatial abilities. Mrs. X’s motoric difficulties and parkinsonism made it difficult for her to participate in testing comfortably. Language barriers were prominent: Mrs. X occasionally required English-Afrikaans translation and multiple repetitions of prompts. Summary and impressions of test results acknowledged the cultural and linguistic limitations of the evaluation. She was diagnosed with Major Neurocognitive Disorder secondary to MSA. Discussion In patients with diffuse impairment, it is essential to understand the role of dual language processes, ESL, and cultural limitations of assessments in order to accurately differentiate between neurodegenerative processes (i.e., Alzheimer’s Disease vs. other disorders), as well as to determine the impact of MSA on the linguistic abilities of bilingual individuals.

Examination of the reliability and validity of the NAB Naming Test in a diverse clinical sample

Objective: The Boston Naming Test, Second Edition (BNT-2) and the Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (NAB) Naming Test are common measures to assess visual confrontation naming ability. The comparably newer NAB Naming Test is a potential alternative to the BNT-2, given the latter’s history of criticism. A recent psychometric investigation of the NAB Naming Test demonstrated sufficient reliability and validity in a large clinical sample; however, their study was limited by a lack of ethnic, racial, and language diversity, all of which can impact scores on naming tests.Method: The present study examined convergent and discriminant validity and internal consistency of the NAB Naming Test in a diverse clinical sample comprised of 225 veterans (87.6% men, 51.1% White/Caucasian, 29.3% bilingual, 64.0% with cognitive impairment). All but three participants identified as White/Caucasian, Hispanic/Latino or Black/African American. These psychometric properties were examined for the overall sample and for monolingual (English) and bilingual (English/Spanish) participants separately.Results: As expected, the NAB Naming Test demonstrated sufficient internal consistency and a negatively skewed distribution for the overall sample and monolingual and bilingual participants. Evidence for adequate convergent and discriminative validity was also established for monolingual and bilingual participants separately.Conclusion: In a diverse clinical sample with differing levels of self-reported language status, the NAB Naming Test demonstrated adequate psychometric properties. Although it represents a viable option in neuropsychological practice, continued awareness of patient-specific factors that could impact performance is recommended.

Comparison of Coherence and Efficiency in Discourse Production of Middle-old and Old-old Elderly

Purpose The purpose of this study was to compare the degree of coherence and efficiency in the discourse production of cognitively healthy middle-old and old-old groups in elderly. Methods Eleven middle-old (age: 79.00 ± 2.76) and 6 old-old subjects (age: 89.67 ± 3.78) performed three types of discourse tasks. The coherence score and the propositional density were used to compare the degree of topic maintenance and efficiency between two groups. The differences between the groups were assessed using the Mann-Whitney U test. A correlation among the two scores, demographic information, language test results, and the Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (K-MMSE) were also examined. Results There was a significant difference in propositional density between the two groups. The coherence score correlated with age, K-MMSE, and a confrontation naming test. Conclusion The results of the present study is significant in that it is the first study to compare the performance of discourse production in the old-old elderly with those of the middle-old elderly. In addition, theme maintenance of normal elderly over 75 years of age is associated with their confrontation naming abilities and overall cognitive abilities. Key Words: Discourse, Aging, Coherence, Propositional analysis, Language ability 중심 단어: 담화, ë ¸í™”, 통일성, ëª ì œ 분석, ì–¸ì–´ëŠ¥ë ¥

Item analysis of the Spanish version of the Boston Naming Test with a Spanish speaking adult population from Colombia

Objective: The Boston Naming Test (BNT) is a widely used measure of confrontation naming ability that has been criticized for its questionable construct validity for non-English speakers. This study investigated item difficulty and construct validity of the Spanish version of the BNT to assess cultural and linguistic impact on performance. Methods: Subjects were 1298 healthy Spanish speaking adults from Colombia. They were administered the 60- and 15-item Spanish version of the BNT. A Rasch analysis was computed to assess dimensionality, item hierarchy, targeting, reliability, and item fit. Results: Both versions of the BNT satisfied requirements for unidimensionality. Although internal consistency was excellent for the 60-item BNT, order of difficulty did not increase consistently with item number and there were a number of items that did not fit the Rasch model. For the 15-item BNT, a total of 5 items changed position on the item hierarchy with 7 poor fitting items. Internal consistency was acceptable. Conclusions: Construct validity of the BNT remains a concern when it is administered to non-English speaking populations. Similar to previous findings, the order of item presentation did not correspond with increasing item difficulty, and both versions were inadequate at assessing high naming ability.

Influence of Linguistic and Nonlinguistic Variables on Generalization and Maintenance Following Phonomotor Treatment for Aphasia.

Although phonomotor treatment shows promise as an effective intervention for anomia in people with aphasia, responses to this treatment are not consistent across individuals. To better understand this variability, we examined the influence of 5 participant characteristics-age, time postonset, aphasia severity, naming impairment, and error profile-on generalization and maintenance of confrontation naming and discourse abilities following phonomotor treatment. Using retrospective data from 26 participants with aphasia who completed a 6-week phonomotor treatment program, we examined the relationships between participant characteristics of interest and change scores on confrontation naming and discourse tasks, measured pretreatment, immediately following treatment, and 3 months following treatment. Although the participant characteristics of aphasia severity and error profile appeared to predict generalization to improved confrontation naming of untrained items and discourse performance, a post hoc analysis revealed that no one characteristic predicted generalization across participants at 3 months posttreatment. Response to phonomotor treatment does not appear to be influenced by aphasia and anomia severity level, error profile, participant age, or time postonset. Other factors, however, may influence response to intensive aphasia treatment and are worthy of continued exploration.

Characteristics of Confrontation Naming Ability according to Word Frequency in Patients with Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Preliminary Study

ë°°ê²½ 및 ëª©ì  본 연구에서는 aMCI 환자를 대상으로 단어 빈도에 따른 ëŒ€ë©´ì´ë¦„ëŒ€ê¸°ê³¼ì œ ìˆ˜í–‰ë ¥ê³¼ 오반응 특성을 ì‚´íŽ´ë³´ê³ ì „ë°˜ì ì¸ ì¸ì§€ëŠ¥ë ¥ê³¼ 대면이름대기 ìˆ˜í–‰ë ¥ 간의 관계를 확인하였다. 방법 ì •ìƒë ¸ì¸ 40ëª ê³¼ aMCI 환자 35ëª ì„ 대상으로 K-BNT와 ì €ë¹ˆë„ 단어 ì´ë¦„ëŒ€ê¸°ê³¼ì œë¥¼ 시행하였다. ë¨¼ì €, 두 집단 간 ì´ë¦„ëŒ€ê¸°ê³¼ì œì˜ ìˆ˜í–‰ë ¥ì˜ 차이를 í™•ì¸í•˜ì˜€ê³ , 두 집단 간 ì €ë¹ˆë„ 단어 ì´ë¦„ëŒ€ê¸°ê³¼ì œì—ì„œ 관찰된 오류 ìœ í˜•ì„ 비교하였다. 또한, K-MMSE ì ìˆ˜ì™€ K-BNT ì ìˆ˜ 및 ì €ë¹ˆë„ 단어 ì´ë¦„ëŒ€ê¸°ê³¼ì œì˜ ì ìˆ˜ 간의 상관관계를 분석하였다. ê²°ê³¼ 첫째, aMCI 집단이 ì •ìƒë ¸ì¸ 집단보다 ëª¨ë“ ê³¼ì œì—ì„œ ìœ ì˜í•˜ê²Œ 낮은 ìˆ˜í–‰ë ¥ì„ 보였다. 두 집단 모두 K-BNT보다 ì €ë¹ˆë„ 단어 이름대기 ê³¼ì œì—ì„œ 더 낮은 ì ìˆ˜ë¥¼ 보였지만, 이러한 수행의 차이는 aMCI 집단에서 ìœ ì˜ë¯¸í•˜ê²Œ 관찰되었다. 둘째, aMCI 집단이 ì˜ë¯¸ì  오류, 시지각오류, 비연관 오류에서 ìœ ì˜í•˜ê²Œ 높은 비율을 보였다. ì ‹ì§¸, aMCI 집단에서 K-MMSE ì ìˆ˜ì™€ ì €ë¹ˆë„ 단어 이름대기 ì ìˆ˜ 간의 상관성이 관찰되었다. ë ¼ì˜ 및 ê²°ë¡ ê³ ë¹ˆë„ 단어는 의미 체계에 ì €ìž¥ëœ 표상의 강도가 ê°•í•˜ê³ ì•ˆì •ì ì´ì§€ë§Œ ì €ë¹ˆë„ 단어는 ê³ ë¹ˆë„ 단어에 비하여 단어에 대한 ì˜ë¯¸ì  표상의 강도가 약하기 때문에 aMCI의 ë‡Œì‹ ê²½í•™ì  변화에 더 민감하게 영향을 받을 수 있다. ìž„ìƒì  ì ìš©ì˜ 측면에서 ì €ë¹ˆë„ 단어 ì´ë¦„ëŒ€ê¸°ê³¼ì œëŠ” aMCI 집단의 ì €í•˜ëœ 기능을 í™•ì¸í•˜ê³ ê°ë³„í•˜ëŠ”ë° 도움을 줄 수 있다. Keywords: ê²½ë„ì¸ì§€ìž¥ì• , 대면이름대기, ì €ë¹ˆë„ 단어

Confrontation Naming and Reading Abilities at Primary School: A Longitudinal Study.

Background. Confrontation naming tasks are useful in the assessment of children with learning and language disorders. Objectives. The aims of this study were (1) providing longitudinal data on confrontation naming; (2) investigating the role of socioeconomic status (SES), intelligence, age, and gender in confrontation naming; (3) identifying relationship between confrontation naming and reading abilities (fluency, accuracy, and comprehension). Method. A five-year longitudinal investigation of confrontation naming (i.e., the Boston Naming Test (BNT)) in a nonclinical sample of Italian primary school children was conducted (n = 126), testing them at the end of each school year, to assess nonverbal intelligence, confrontation naming, and reading abilities. Results. Performance on the BNT emerged as a function of IQ and SES. Significant correlations between confrontation naming and reading abilities, especially comprehension, were found; BNT scores correlated better with reading fluency than with reading accuracy. Conclusions. The longitudinal data obtained in this study are discussed with regard to reading abilities, intelligence, age, gender, and socioeconomic status.

Effects on communication from intensive treatment with semantic feature analysis in aphasia

Background: Anomia, a persistent and frequent symptom of aphasia after stroke, obstructs the transfer of information in conversation, which can have serious consequences for participation in everyday social interaction with significant others and in society.Aims: This study aimed to replicate the findings of Coelho and his colleagues, as well as Boyle, and Wambaugh and Ferguson regarding the use of semantic feature analysis (SFA) for individuals with aphasia after stroke. Its main purpose was to explore whether intervention could (1) increase the ability to participate in conversation and (2) lead to positive changes in functional communication as perceived by the participants themselves and their significant others.Methods & Procedures: In this multiple-baseline across-subjects-design study, three participants with chronic aphasia were treated with intensive training using SFA. Treatment outcome was assessed with repeated measures of confrontation naming of actions and objects and with quantitative ratings of the quality of speech as well as communicative participation in conversation. The ratings were made by independent assessors blinded as to what phase of the study the data were obtained from. In addition, a questionnaire measuring perceived functional communication as reported by the participants and their significant others was administered before and after the training as well as at a follow-up session 10–12 weeks after the training was completed.Outcome & Results: Only minor treatment outcomes were apparent in this study. Visual inspection of the results showed a slight increase in the ability to participate in conversation for two of the three participants as well as a fall in the number of complex paraphasias for one of them and an increase in self-corrections for two. There was no improvement in the participants’ confrontation-naming ability. Two of the three participants rated their own functional communication skills higher at follow-up than before training while the third participant reported no change. As regards the ratings by significant others at follow-up versus before training, there was one slight decrease, one slight increase, and one considerable increase.Conclusions: Treatment with SFA might improve communicative skills and increase participation in everyday conversation despite not having a measurable effect on confrontation-naming ability in a formal assessment situation. Further research is needed to identify the individuals with aphasia who can benefit from treatment with SFA and to determine the nature of its impact on communicative participation.

An Analysis of Aphasic Naming Errors as an Indicator of Improved Linguistic Processing Following Phonomotor Treatment

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of phonomotor treatment on the types of errors produced during a confrontation naming task for people with aphasia (PWA). Ten PWA received 60 hr of phonomotor treatment across 6 weeks. Confrontation naming abilities were measured before and after treatment, and responses were coded as correct or incorrect. Incorrect responses were coded for error type. Paired t tests comparing pre-, post- and 3 months posttreatment naming accuracy and error type were performed. Group data showed that naming accuracy on trained items improved significantly immediately post treatment, and gains were maintained 3 months later. Naming accuracy on untrained items did not show significant improvement immediately post treatment or 3 months later. Results of error type analysis were not significant. However, a decrease in omission errors and an increase in mixed errors were noted immediately post treatment for naming of untrained items. Results suggest that intensive phonomotor treatment improved lexical-retrieval abilities and may have triggered a shift in linguistic processing, as indicated by a decrease in omission errors on trained items and an increase in mixed errors on untrained items.

Reliable Change on the Boston Naming Test

Serial assessments are commonplace in neuropsychological practice and used to document cognitive trajectory for many clinical conditions. However, true change scores may be distorted by measurement error, repeated exposure to the assessment instrument, or person variables. The present study provides reliable change indices (RCI) for the Boston Naming Test, derived from a sample of 844 cognitively normal adults aged 56 years and older. All participants were retested between 9 and 24 months after their baseline exam. Results showed that a 4-point decline during a 9-15 month retest period or a 6-point decline during a 16-24 month retest period represents reliable change. These cutoff values were further characterized as a function of a person's age and family history of dementia. These findings may help clinicians and researchers to characterize with greater precision the temporal changes in confrontation naming ability.

Magnetic resonance imaging and neuropsychological results from a trial of memantine in Alzheimer's disease

This study was designed to assess changes in brain volume and cognitive abilities in memantine-treated patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) by using an exploratory, single-arm, delayed-start design. Cholinesterase inhibitor-treated patients with AD (N = 47; Mini-Mental State Examination score range: 15-23) were enrolled in an observational lead-in period (weeks: 1-24), followed by an open-label period of add-on memantine treatment (weeks: 25-48). The patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging at weeks 0 (baseline), 24 (immediately before memantine initiation), and 48 (endpoint), and a battery of neuropsychological tests at weeks 0, 24, 28, 36, and 48. The primary outcome measure was the annualized rate of change (%) in total brain volume (TBV) between the two study periods. Data were analyzed using paired t-tests. There were no statistically significant differences in the rates of change in TBV, ventricular volume, or left hippocampal volume between the study periods; however, the memantine treatment period was associated with a significantly slower right hippocampal atrophy (-5.5% ± 12.0% vs -10.8% ± 7.2%; P = .038). Memantine treatment was also associated with superior performances on the Boston Naming Test (P = .034) and the Trail Making Test, Part B (P = .001), but also with a higher number of errors (i.e., repetitions and intrusions) on the California Verbal Learning Test. Memantine was found to be safe and well tolerated. In this study, no difference in the rates of TBV change between the two periods was observed; however, memantine treatment was found to be associated with slowing of right hippocampal atrophy, and with improvement on one test of executive functioning as well as a test of confrontation naming ability. Trials using structural magnetic resonance imaging and a delayed-start design may be a feasible option for the assessment of treatments for AD.

Effects of cognate status and language of therapy during intensive semantic naming treatment in a case of severe nonfluent bilingual aphasia

As bilingualism becomes less exceptional in the world, and with the growing incidence of stroke and aphasia, a better understanding of how bilingualism affects aphasia recovery is increasingly important. The present study examined the effect of intensive semantic naming therapy in three phases (Spanish, English and mixed) on within- and across-language generalization for cognates and non-cognates, in a bilingual individual with chronic, severe expressive aphasia. We hypothesized that cognates would positively influence cross-linguistic generalization, which might be more likely to occur from L2 to L1. Results indicate relative increases in confrontation naming ability in the following conditions: trained versus untrained, L1 versus L2 or mixed and non-cognates versus cognates. This participant demonstrated a pattern of results consistent with a differential recovery pattern in which presentation of treatment in both languages and training of cognates may have promoted interference, thus increasing the activation threshold, and lowering performance under these conditions.

Hippocampal activation correlates with visual confrontation naming: fMRI findings in controls and patients with temporal lobe epilepsy

SummaryPurposeIn patients with left temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) due to hippocampal sclerosis (HS) decreased naming ability is common, suggesting a critical role for the medial left temporal lobe in this task. We investigated the integrity of language networks with functional MRI (fMRI) in controls and TLE patients.Experimental designWe performed an fMRI verbal fluency paradigm in 22 controls and 66 patients with unilateral mesial TLE (37 left HS, 29 right HS). Verbal fluency and naming ability were investigated as part of the standard presurgical neuropsychological assessment. Naming ability was assessed using a visual confrontation naming test.ResultsLeft TLE patients had significantly lower naming scores than controls and those with right TLE. Right TLE patients performed less well than controls, but better than those with left TLE. Left TLE had significantly lower scores for verbal fluency than controls.In controls and right TLE, left hippocampal activation during the verbal fluency task was significantly correlated with naming, characterised by higher scores in subjects with greater hippocampal fMRI activation. In left TLE no correlation with naming scores was seen in the left hippocampus, but there was a significant correlation in the left middle and inferior frontal gyri, not observed in controls and right TLE. In left and right TLE, out of scanner verbal fluency scores significantly correlated with fMRI activation for verbal fluency in the left middle and inferior frontal gyri.ConclusionGood confrontation naming ability depends on the integrity of the hippocampus and the connecting fronto-temporal networks. Functional MRI activation in the left hippocampus during verbal fluency is associated with naming function in healthy controls and patients with right TLE. In left TLE, there was evidence of involvement of the left frontal lobe when naming was more proficient, most likely reflecting a compensatory response due to the ongoing epileptic activity and/or underlying pathology.

Visual-cognitive processing deficits in pediatric multiple sclerosis

Background: Children with multiple sclerosis (MS) can suffer significant cognitive deficits. This study investigates the sensitivity and validity in pediatric MS of two visual processing tests borrowed from the adult literature, the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised (BVMTR) and the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT). Objective: To test the hypothesis that visual processing is disproportionately impacted in pediatric MS by comparing performance with that of healthy controls on the BVMTR and SDMT. Methods: We studied 88 participants (43 MS, 45 controls) using a neuropsychological assessment battery including measures of intelligence, language, visual memory, and processing speed. Patients and demographically matched controls were compared to determine which tests are most sensitive in pediatric MS. Results: Statistically significant differences were found between the MS and control groups on BVMTR Total Learning (t (84) = 4.04, p < 0.001, d = 0.87), BVMTR Delayed Recall (t (84) = 4.45, p < 0.001, d = 0.96), and SDMT (t (38) = 2.19, p = 0.035, d = 0.69). No significant differences were found between groups on confrontation naming or general intellectual ability. Validity coefficients exploring correlation between BVMTR, SDMT, and disease characteristics were consistent with the adult literature. Conclusions: This study found that BVMTR and SDMT may be useful in assessing children and adolescents with MS.