Correlating natural language processing and automated speech analysis with clinician assessment to quantify speech-language changes in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's dementia.

BACKGROUND: Language impairment is an important marker of neurodegenerative disorders. Despite this, there is no universal system of terminology used to describe these impairments and large inter-rater variability can exist between clinicians assessing language. The use of natural language processing (NLP) and automated speech analysis (ASA) is emerging as a novel and potentially more objective method to assess language in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's dementia (AD). No studies have analyzed how variables extracted through NLP and ASA might also be correlated to language impairments identified by a clinician. METHODS: Audio recordings (n=30) from participants with AD, MCI, and controls were rated by clinicians for word-finding difficulty, incoherence, perseveration, and errors in speech. Speech recordings were also transcribed, and linguistic and acoustic variables were extracted through NLP and ASA. Correlations between clinician-rated speech characteristics and the variables were compared using Spearman's correlation. Exploratory factor analysis was applied to find common factors between variables for each speech characteristic. RESULTS: Clinician agreement was high in three of the four speech characteristics: word-finding difficulty (ICC = 0.92, p<0.001), incoherence (ICC = 0.91, p<0.001), and perseveration (ICC = 0.88, p<0.001). Word-finding difficulty and incoherence were useful constructs at distinguishing MCI and AD from controls, while perseveration and speech errors were less relevant. Word-finding difficulty as a construct was explained by three factors, including number and duration of pauses, word duration, and syntactic complexity. Incoherence was explained by two factors, including increased average word duration, use of past tense, and changes in age of acquisition, and more negative valence. CONCLUSIONS: Variables extracted through automated acoustic and linguistic analysis of MCI and AD speech were significantly correlated with clinician ratings of speech and language characteristics. Our results suggest that correlating NLP and ASA with clinician observations is an objective and novel approach to measuring speech and language changes in neurodegenerative disorders.

Use of the Griffiths mental development scale-Chinese in the assessment of children with autism spectrum disorder and global developmental delay/intellectual disability.

ABSTRACT: The Griffiths Mental Development Scale-Chinese (GDS-C) is used in China to assess the development of children from birth to 8 years of age. Language disorders are a common symptom of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and global developmental delay (GDD)/intellectual disability (ID). There is a need to identify distinct clinical characteristics in children suspected of having these 2 disorders, mainly presenting as language disorders. Here, we aimed to use the GDS-C to evaluate children presenting with language problems to identify characteristics that distinguish ASD and GDD/ID. Children with language problems were recruited between August 2018 and December 2019. A total of 150 children aged 25 to 95.2 months were enrolled (50 in the ASD group, 50 in the GDD/ID group, and 50 in the typical group). Each group was subdivided by age as follows: 24-36 months, >36-60 months, and >60-96 months. Developmental characteristics assessed using the GDS-C were analyzed and compared. Both, children with ASD and GDD/ID presented with a lower developmental level than typical children in all six subscales of the GDS-C. No significant differences were observed in the six subscale scores between the ASD and GDD/ID groups, except for the practical reasoning subscale score in the >36 to 60 months subgroups, which was significantly lower in the GDD/ID group than in the ASD group. The developmental imbalance of subscales within the ASD and GDD/ID groups identified troughs in the personal-social, language, and practical reasoning areas in children with ASD and in the language and practical reasoning areas in children with GDD/ID relative to typical children. The GDS-C is a useful, comprehensive tool for the assessment of the developmental state of children with ASD and GDD/ID. Characteristics of practical reasoning subscale help diagnose autism in >36 to 60 months old children.

Access to speech-language pathology therapy and continuity of assistance in Primary Health Care for victims of motorcycle accidents. / Acesso à reabilitação fonoaudiológica e a continuidade do cuidado pela Atenção Primária em Saúde para vítimas de acidente de motocicleta.

PURPOSE: To verify the access to speech-language pathology (SLP) therapy and continuity of assistance in Primary Health Care (PHC) for victims of motorcycle accidents. METHODS: A quantitative and qualitative study was conducted at a large hospital in the city of Recife, Pernanbuco state, Brazil. Among the 99 victims recruited between June and July 2014, 30 had SLP complaints as a result of the accidents. After hospital discharge, all victims were contacted for investigation of the SLP rehabilitation process. Absolute and relative frequencies were used for the analysis in PHC, and data were displayed in tables for the therapy cases. RESULTS: Among the 30 individuals who reported having alterations of the stomatognathic system, eight were undergoing rehabilitation and 18 reported residing in an area covered by the Family Health Strategy (primary care modality). Seeking and obtaining continuity of treatment (medication and bandaging) in primary care were frequent; in contrast, home visits were less frequent. The main obstacles to access SLP therapy were distance to the service and waiting time to begin treatment. CONCLUSION: This study identified obstacles that hamper access to SLP therapy in PHC, such as the low frequency of home visits, contributing to the fragmentation of continuous and complete care for victims.

OBJETIVO: Verificar o acesso à reabilitação fonoaudiológica e a continuidade do cuidado pela Atenção Primária à Saúde (APS) em vítimas de acidente de motocicleta. MÉTODO: Trata-se de estudo realizado em um hospital de grande porte localizado em Recife-Pernambuco, recrutado entre o período de junho e julho de 2014. Após a alta hospitalar todos foram contatados para investigação do processo de reabilitação fonoaudiológica. Para o estudo na Atenção Primária à Saúde, foram utilizadas medidas de frequência absoluta e relativa. Já os casos em reabilitação foram descritos através de quadros. RESULTADOS: Foi verificado que 99 indivíduos foram vítimas de acidentes por motocicletas no período estudado. Desses, 30 entrevistados referiram ter essas queixas de alteração no sistema estomatognático, dos quais 8 estavam em reabilitação e 18 referiram residir em área adstrita a Unidade de Saúde da Família. Os principais obstáculos para o acesso à fonoterapia apontados foram a distância aos serviços de Fonoaudiologia e o tempo de espera para início do tratamento. Um dos aspectos relacionados à continuidade do cuidado pela Atenção Primária à Saúde, como a busca e obtenção de insumos, foi visto como frequente. Ao contrário da visita domiciliar, menos frequente. CONCLUSÃO: Foram identificados obstáculos que dificultaram o acesso à fonoterapia, assim como fragilidades nos cuidados dispensados pela Atenção Primária, como a visita domiciliar, contribuindo para a fragmentação do cuidado contínuo e integral às vítimas.

Assessment of implicit language and theory of mind in multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence suggests that social cognition, especially theory of mind (ToM), is impaired in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). ToM appears to be a determining factor for social functioning, but research has shown a connection between ToM and pragmatic language disorders among people with neurological or psychiatric disorders. Yet, pragmatic language remains a domain rarely referenced in MS. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effect of MS in terms of the ability for making inferences via pragmatic understanding and ToM. METHODS: We included 21 individuals with MS and 21 healthy controls matched for age, education and linguistic skills who performed verbal tasks involving pragmatic language (Implicit Information Management Test, Narrative Discourse Task), ToM (Test of Social Faux Pas) and a visual task of making inferences (Visual Inferences Test). RESULTS: Performance was significantly lower for individuals with MS than controls in the Test of Social Faux Pas (total score), but performance in pragmatic tasks did not differ. Performance was significantly lower for MS individuals for logical inference on the Implicit Information Management Test and pragmatic inference on the Visual Inferences Test. Additionally, for the MS group, the total score on the Implicit Information Management Test was correlated with the faux pas test total score and hits. CONCLUSION: Even with lack of marked cognitive decline and disability in individuals with MS and lack of differences between groups in pragmatic tasks, the MS group showed lower performance in making inferences and interpreting implicit and social situations. This study highlights the link between pragmatic language and ToM difficulties in MS.

Acesso à reabilitação fonoaudiológica e a continuidade do cuidado pela Atenção Primária em Saúde para vítimas de acidente de motocicleta / Access to speech-language pathology therapy and continuity of assistance in Primary Health Care for victims of motorcycle accidents

RESUMO Objetivo Verificar o acesso à reabilitação fonoaudiológica e a continuidade do cuidado pela Atenção Primária à Saúde (APS) em vítimas de acidente de motocicleta. Método Trata-se de estudo realizado em um hospital de grande porte localizado em Recife-Pernambuco, recrutado entre o período de junho e julho de 2014. Após a alta hospitalar todos foram contatados para investigação do processo de reabilitação fonoaudiológica. Para o estudo na Atenção Primária à Saúde, foram utilizadas medidas de frequência absoluta e relativa. Já os casos em reabilitação foram descritos através de quadros. Resultados Foi verificado que 99 indivíduos foram vítimas de acidentes por motocicletas no período estudado. Desses, 30 entrevistados referiram ter essas queixas de alteração no sistema estomatognático, dos quais 8 estavam em reabilitação e 18 referiram residir em área adstrita a Unidade de Saúde da Família. Os principais obstáculos para o acesso à fonoterapia apontados foram a distância aos serviços de Fonoaudiologia e o tempo de espera para início do tratamento. Um dos aspectos relacionados à continuidade do cuidado pela Atenção Primária à Saúde, como a busca e obtenção de insumos, foi visto como frequente. Ao contrário da visita domiciliar, menos frequente. Conclusão Foram identificados obstáculos que dificultaram o acesso à fonoterapia, assim como fragilidades nos cuidados dispensados pela Atenção Primária, como a visita domiciliar, contribuindo para a fragmentação do cuidado contínuo e integral às vítimas.

ABSTRACT Purpose To verify the access to speech-language pathology (SLP) therapy and continuity of assistance in Primary Health Care (PHC) for victims of motorcycle accidents. Methods A quantitative and qualitative study was conducted at a large hospital in the city of Recife, Pernanbuco state, Brazil. Among the 99 victims recruited between June and July 2014, 30 had SLP complaints as a result of the accidents. After hospital discharge, all victims were contacted for investigation of the SLP rehabilitation process. Absolute and relative frequencies were used for the analysis in PHC, and data were displayed in tables for the therapy cases. Results Among the 30 individuals who reported having alterations of the stomatognathic system, eight were undergoing rehabilitation and 18 reported residing in an area covered by the Family Health Strategy (primary care modality). Seeking and obtaining continuity of treatment (medication and bandaging) in primary care were frequent; in contrast, home visits were less frequent. The main obstacles to access SLP therapy were distance to the service and waiting time to begin treatment. Conclusion This study identified obstacles that hamper access to SLP therapy in PHC, such as the low frequency of home visits, contributing to the fragmentation of continuous and complete care for victims.

A semi-quantitative sport-specific assessment of recurrent traumatic brain injury: the TraQ questionnaire and its application in American football.

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is very frequent and studied among contact sport players, above all American Football. Now, the defined diagnosis is only post-mortem and, consequently, more detailed diagnostic in-vivo instruments are needed to facilitate diagnosis and to allow a follow up. This clinical questionnaire (Trauma Questionnaire-TraQ) has been designed to investigate in parallel the traumatic load and clinical and cognitive subjective symptoms. It evaluates 4 anamnestic fields (specific sport activity, all previous pathological events, clinical manifestations compatible with TBI (traumatic brain injury) or CTE and subjective perception of personal memory efficacy with PRMQ questionnaire). The aim of TraQ questionnaire is to allow a standardized follow-up of active players and to identify subclinical disturbances that may become warnings. A pilot comparative study with TraQ on 105 subjects (75 AF players and 30 comparable people without a history of contact-sports activity) revealed that AF players have an increased amount of severe head trauma, an amplified level of subjective aggressiveness, more olfactory deficits but also more speech subjective problems, previously never related with CTE. In view of the obtained results, the TraQ seems to be useful (1) to obtain a better quantification of the traumatic load; (2) to differentiate the risk of long-term neurological consequences, allowing better management of different athletes right from the pre-symptomatic phases; (3) to manage prevention strategies if regularly applied to periodic visits to sports fitness; and (4) to identify the predisposing factors for the development of CTE and other neurological consequences of TBI with follow-up studies.

Development of the clinical assessment scale in autoimmune encephalitis.

OBJECTIVE: There is no scale for rating the severity of autoimmune encephalitis (AE). In this study, we aimed to develop a novel scale for rating severity in patients with diverse AE syndromes and to verify the reliability and validity of the developed scale. METHODS: The key items were generated by a panel of experts and selected according to content validity ratios. The developed scale was initially applied to 50 patients with AE (development cohort) to evaluate its acceptability, reproducibility, internal consistency, and construct validity. Then, the scale was applied to another independent cohort (validation cohort, n = 38). RESULTS: A new scale consisting of 9 items (seizure, memory dysfunction, psychiatric symptoms, consciousness, language problems, dyskinesia/dystonia, gait instability and ataxia, brainstem dysfunction, and weakness) was developed. Each item was assigned a value of up to 3 points. The total score could therefore range from 0 to 27. We named the scale the Clinical Assessment Scale in Autoimmune Encephalitis (CASE). The new scale showed excellent interobserver (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.97) and intraobserver (ICC = 0.96) reliability for total scores, was highly correlated with modified Rankin scale (r = 0.86, p < 0.001), and had acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach α = 0.88). Additionally, in the validation cohort, the scale showed high interobserver reliability (ICC = 0.99) and internal consistency (Cronbach α = 0.92). INTERPRETATION: CASE is a novel clinical scale for AE with a high level of clinimetric properties. It would be suitable for application in clinical practice and might help overcome the limitations of current outcome scales for AE. ANN NEUROL 2019;85:352-358.

Writing Changes and Perceptions After Traumatic Brain Injury: "Oh, by the way, I can't write".

Purpose: Language and cognitive disruptions following traumatic brain injury (TBI) can negatively affect written expression and may result in increased difficulty achieving academic, vocational, social, and personal goals; however, scarce literature exists about TBI's effect on writing abilities. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the experiences and perceptions of people with TBI regarding their engagement in writing activities. Method: A transcendental phenomenological design structured the research. Data collection from 11 adults with TBI included gathering demographic and background information, completion of a TBI Symptom Checklist, and engagement in semistructured interviews. Results: Four major themes and 21 subthemes about postinjury writing recovery and current writing status emerged from the data analysis. Participants reported the extent to which writing difficulties interfered with daily activities and identified support strategies used to address persistent challenges. Conclusion: Understanding the writing experiences and perceptions of people with TBI can guide professionals in designing assessments and interventions to facilitate educational, vocational, social, and personal success following injury.

An Informant-Based Simple Questionnaire for Language Assessment in Neurodegenerative Disorders.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Language dysfunction is a crucial feature of brain disorders. This study investigated language dysfunction in patients with dementia with or without parkinsonism by using an informant-based simple questionnaire. METHODS: Language dysfunction in normal controls (NCs), and patients with Parkinson disease (PD), Parkinson disease dementia (PDD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), or Alzheimer disease (AD) were analyzed and compared. RESULTS: A total of 1,662 individuals were studied: 285 NCs, 157 PD patients, 161 PDD patients, 248 DLB patients, and 811 AD patients. Patients with PD displayed higher frequency of language dysfunction in several language domains than NC. Patients with PDD and DLB showed higher frequency of language dysfunction in most of the language domains than those with AD. A composite score of our simple questionnaire was comparable with the score for the language domain of the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI) in different stages of dementia due to Lewy body diseases or not. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that the informant-based simple questionnaire is a practical screening tool and is comparable with the language subscale of CASI. This tool can be applied in clinical practice and in the registration platform for rapid language dysfunction screening.

Cognitive Sequelae of Unruptured and Ruptured Intracranial Aneurysms and their Treatment: Modalities for Neuropsychological Assessment.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive sequelae frequently follow subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and include deficits across multiple domains of executive function. This factor affects overall functional outcomes negatively, especially in younger patients. Several clinical correlates predict development and severity of cognitive dysfunction after SAH. Hypothetical mechanisms of cognitive dysfunction in the absence of radiographic lesion include cerebral hypoperfusion and blood breakdown products, resulting in perturbed interneuronal communication and network synchrony, excitotoxicity, and altered microRNA expression. METHODS: The PubMed database was searched for articles discussing cognitive outcomes in patients with unruptured and ruptured intracranial aneurysmal disease, sequelae of treatment, and modalities for neuropsychologic testing. RESULTS: Treatment of unruptured intracranial aneurysms, although capable of preventing SAH, comes with its own set of complications and may also affect cognitive function. Neuropsychological tests such as the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Mini-Mental Status Examination, and others have proved useful in evaluating cognitive decline. Studies using functional neurologic imaging modalities have identified regions with altered activation patterns during various cognitive tasks. The sum of research efforts in this field has provided useful insights and an initial understanding of cognitive dysfunction after aneurysm treatment and SAH that should prove useful in guiding and rendering future investigations more fruitful. CONCLUSIONS: Development of finer and more sensitive neuropsychological tests in evaluating the different domains of cognitive function after aneurysm treatment and SAH in general will be useful in accurately determining outcomes after ictus and comparing efficacy of different therapeutic strategies.

Development and application of cognitive-pragmatic language ability assessment protocol for traumatic brain injury.

The study aim was to introduce a newly-developed multifaceted cognitive-pragmatic language assessment protocol. This study was also designed to assess the reliability and validity of the assessment protocol in the discrimination between mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and normal control. Individuals in this study were 25 to 64 years old. Ten mTBIs and twenty-two control group were recruited for the preliminary study. Their mean ages were 45.20 and 41.23, respectively. For the main study, we recruited 39 mTBIs and 100 healthy individuals whose mean ages were 44.67 and 40.84, respectively. The newly-developed protocol was completed through a systematic review based on an item analysis. We administered the CAPTBI based on nine domains, 22 subcategories, and 57 items. All nine domains of the CAPTBI were found to be significant variables by which mTBI individuals can be distinguished from normal individuals (p < .001). We also presented the cut-off points by education level to maximize the validity of differentiating the two groups. This study is the first attempt to evaluate mTBI by means of the cognitive-linguistic protocol with multiple domains. The CAPTBI is an appropriate tool for differentiating the cognitive-pragmatic language abilities between mTBI and control group.

Assessment of cognition and language in the early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder: usefulness of the Bayley Scales of infant and toddler development, third edition.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to test the usefulness of the Cognitive and Language scales Bayley-III in the early assessment of cognitive and language functions in the context of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis. This paper focuses on the application of the Bayley-III and studies the predictive value of the test result in children with ASD with different levels of verbal ability. METHOD: A sample of 135 children (121 boys, 14 girls) with a confirmed ASD diagnosis at age 4 years were assessed with the Bayley-III before 42 months of age (m = 36.49, s = 4.46) and later with other rating scales of different psychological and psycholinguistic functions as part of a longitudinal study [McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities (MSCA) (n = 48, 90% boys), Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) (n = 38, 87% boys) or Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities (ITPA) (n = 44, 89% boys)]. Age assessment in months: MSCA (m = 48.80, s = 3.33), K-ABC (m = 51.80, s = 7.17) and ITPA (m = 54.48, s = 3.34). RESULTS: Lower scores on the cognitive and language Bayley-III scales before 3.5 years of age predicted lower cognitive and oral language levels at 4 years of age. A significant correlation was found between the Cognitive Bayley-III Scale and the General Cognitive MSCA Scale, and with the Compound K-ABC Mental Processing. An association between the nonverbal cognitive level and oral language level acquired at 4 years of age was found. CONCLUSIONS: The Bayley-III is a useful instrument in cognitive and language assessment of ASD.

Validity of the Child Facial Coding System for the Assessment of Acute Pain in Children With Cerebral Palsy.

The purpose of the current study was to examine the concurrent and discriminant validity of the Child Facial Coding System for children with cerebral palsy. Eighty-five children (mean = 8.35 years, SD = 4.72 years) were videotaped during a passive joint stretch with their physiotherapist and during 3 time segments: baseline, passive joint stretch, and recovery. Children's pain responses were rated from videotape using the Numerical Rating Scale and Child Facial Coding System. Results indicated that Child Facial Coding System scores during the passive joint stretch significantly correlated with Numerical Rating Scale scores (r = .72, P < .01). Child Facial Coding System scores were also significantly higher during the passive joint stretch than the baseline and recovery segments (P < .001). Facial activity was not significantly correlated with the developmental measures. These findings suggest that the Child Facial Coding System is a valid method of identifying pain in children with cerebral palsy.

Suffer the Infants: A Severe Case of Pertussis in Oregon, 2012.

Pertussis remains a public health concern in Oregon, especially among young infants. The disease can be severe in this age group and is associated with a high inpatient cost. This report describes an Oregon infant who was hospitalized with pertussis for 90 days, required extracorporeal oxygenation for 43 days, suffered complications including stroke, and had hospital charges totaling $1.5 million. Pertussis morbidity among young infants argues for vaccination of women during each pregnancy and of infants beginning promptly at two months of age.

A prospective cohort study of patients with transient ischemic attack to identify high-risk clinical characteristics.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The occurrence of a transient ischemic attack (TIA) increases an individual's risk for subsequent stroke. The objectives of this study were to determine clinical features of patients with TIA associated with impending (≤7 days) stroke and to develop a clinical prediction score for impending stroke. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study at 8 Canadian emergency departments for 5 years. We enrolled patients with a new TIA. Our outcome was subsequent stroke within 7 days of TIA diagnosis. RESULTS: We prospectively enrolled 3906 patients, of which 86 (2.2%) experienced a stroke within 7 days. Clinical features strongly correlated with having an impending stroke included first-ever TIA, language disturbance, longer duration, weakness, gait disturbance, elevated blood pressure, atrial fibrillation on ECG, infarction on computed tomography, and elevated blood glucose. Variables less associated with having an impending stroke included vertigo, lightheadedness, and visual loss. From this cohort, we derived the Canadian TIA Score which identifies the risk of subsequent stroke≤7 days and consists of 13 variables. This model has good discrimination with a c-statistic of 0.77 (95% confidence interval, 0.73-0.82). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with TIA with their first TIA, language disturbance, duration of symptoms≥10 minutes, gait disturbance, atrial fibrillation, infarction on computed tomography, elevated platelets or glucose, unilateral weakness, history of carotid stenosis, and elevated diastolic blood pressure are at higher risk for an impending stroke. Patients with vertigo and no high-risk features are at low risk. The Canadian TIA Score quantifies the impending stroke risk following TIA.

[Evaluation of the community integration of persons with lateralised post-acute acquired brain injury]. / Valoracion de la integracion en la comunidad de las personas con daño cerebral adquirido postagudo lateralizado.

INTRODUCTION. Hemispheric specialization is a topic of interest that has motivated an enormous amount of research in recent decades. After a unilateral brain injury, the consequences can affect various areas of specialization, leading, depending on the location of the injury, impairment in quality of life and community integration. PATIENTS AND METHODS. Cross-sectional study with a sample of 58 patients, 28 traumatic brain injury (TBI) and 30 cerebrovascular accidents, both lateralized. The level of integration in the community is measured by the Community Integration Questionnaire. RESULTS. There were three groups analyzed by considering unilateral injury (full sample, stroke sample, and TBI sample). Results showed a significantly high community integration of people with right hemisphere injury. However, to measure the level of community integration between TBI and stroke, the results showed no significant differences. CONCLUSION. According to the results of the study people with brain injury in the right hemisphere have a better community integration than people with lesions in the left hemisphere regardless of the origin of the lesions (vascular or traumatic). We discussed the reasons that may motivate the differences and clinical implications.

TITLE: Valoracion de la integracion en la comunidad de las personas con daño cerebral adquirido postagudo lateralizado.Introduccion. La especializacion hemisferica es un tema de interes que ha motivado un gran volumen de investigacion en las ultimas decadas. Tras una lesion cerebral lateralizada, las secuelas pueden afectar a diversas areas de especializacion, provocando, en funcion de la localizacion de la lesion, una afectacion en la calidad de vida y en la integracion comunitaria. Pacientes y metodos. Estudio transversal con una muestra de 58 pacientes, 28 con traumatismos craneoencefalicos (TCE) y 30 con accidentes cerebrovasculares (ACV), ambos lateralizados. El nivel de integracion en la comunidad se midio con el cuestionario de integracion comunitaria (CIQ). Resultados. De los grupos analizados teniendo en cuenta la lesion lateralizada (muestra completa, muestra de ACV y muestra de TCE), los resultados mostraron una significativamente mayor integracion comunitaria de las personas con lesion en el hemisferio derecho. Sin embargo, al medir el nivel de integracion comunitaria entre TCE y ACV, los resultados no mostraron diferencias significativas. Conclusion. Segun los resultados del estudio, las personas con lesion cerebral en el hemisferio derecho presentan una mejor integracion comunitaria que las personas con lesion en el hemisferio izquierdo, con independencia del origen de las lesiones (vascular o traumatica). Se discuten las razones que pueden motivar las diferencias y las implicaciones clinicas.

Clinical evaluation of language fundamentals in Rolandic epilepsy, an assessment with CELF-4.

BACKGROUND: In clinical practice, Rolandic epilepsy is in many cases associated with developmental language impairment. However, from the literature it is unclear exactly which domains are affected; A wide variety of investigations are reported that each provide a different representation of language performance in these patients. AIMS: The aim of this study is to compare performance on the language domains between children with Rolandic epilepsy and healthy controls. METHODS: Prospective study of children with Rolandic epilepsy compared to healthy controls. 25 children (mean age 136.6 months, SD 23.0) with Rolandic epilepsy and 25 age-matched healthy controls were tested on their language function using the CELF-4 (Clinical evaluation of Language Fundamentals, Dutch edition). The healthy control were not matched regard to other important factors, particularly educational attainment and co-morbidity. Expressive language, receptive language, language content, language structure and language working memory were tested. RESULTS: In children with Rolandic epilepsy, the core language score was significant lower compared with healthy controls. They scored specifically lower on the receptive language index and language content index (both p = 0.002). A trend towards decreased expressive language index was observed (p = 0.054). Language structure and language working memory were in the normal range. CONCLUSION: Language was found to be impaired in children with typical Rolandic epilepsy. Especially semantic language processing including receptive language and language content was significantly impaired. The common denominator of these functions is semantic language processing.

Survey of speech and language therapy provision for people with Parkinson's disease in the United Kingdom: patients' and carers' perspectives.

BACKGROUND: Communication and swallowing changes are prominent in Parkinson's disease, but there remains a lack of information regarding the experiences and expectations of people with Parkinson's disease in respect of speech-language therapy (SLT) services. AIMS: To conduct a survey of people with Parkinson's disease and their carers in the United Kingdom to elicit their views concerning communication and swallowing changes in Parkinson's disease and the support they envisage in helping with these changes. METHODS & PROCEDURES: A national survey utilizing a questionnaire developed for the project, accessible by people with Parkinson's disease in web-based, e-mail or paper forms. OUTCOMES & RESULTS: A total of 168 people with Parkinson's disease (median = 7 years since diagnosis, range = 0.5-30) and 47 carers who provided their impression of the experience of the PwPD responded. Of these 215, 92 (43%) had no contact with SLT services. In general those who had seen an SLT found it a positive experience. Pointers for improvement centred around timing, intensity, duration and access to SLT as well as issues around transfer and maintenance of gains outside of clinic and (lack of) attention to psychosocial dimensions. Availability of ongoing support as the situation evolved and access to SLT when it was needed were two prominent features desired of a responsive service. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS: Responses suggest that when SLT is available it offers positive support, but respondents felt (re)access when and where SLT is needed could improve, as well as what aspects of swallowing and communication were addressed in assessment and therapy. We reflect on possible recommendations to address the challenges for SLT services in considering organization and content of provision.

Predictors of performance on the MMSE and the DRS-2 among American Indian elders.

Little is known about factors that predict older American Indians' performance on cognitive tests. This study examined 137 American Indian elders' performance on the MMSE and the Dementia Rating Scale-Second Edition (DRS-2). Multivariate regression identified younger age, more education, not receiving Supplemental Security Income, and frequent receipt of needed health care as predictors of better performance on the MMSE. Better performance on the DRS-2 was predicted by more education, boarding school attendance, not receiving Supplemental Security Income, and frequent receipt of needed health care. This study points to the importance of economic and educational factors on cognitive test performance among American Indian elders.