The Memory Binding Test: Development of Two Alternate Forms into Spanish and Catalan.

BACKGROUND: The Memory Binding Test (MBT) is emerging as a promising tool for the detection of subtle memory impairment suggestive of Alzheimer's disease (AD). For such a test to be widely accessed and used, the availability of both alternate forms and language adaptations is required. OBJECTIVES: To develop a thorough methodology for obtaining alternate forms (A and B) of the MBT in Spanish and Catalan and to assess their equivalence. METHOD: According to the original development of the test, frequency was taken as the lexical variable of reference for the Spanish and Catalan adaptations. A crossed design protocol by form and language was used to compare the MBT results in a sample of 290 cognitively normal middle-aged participants. Pairwise Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICCs) were calculated among the six possible combinations. RESULTS: The Spanish and Catalan lists of words for the MBT A and B resulting from the adaptation process as well as the original lists in English are presented. ICC indices for the comparisons between forms and languages ranged from 0.56 to 0.82. CONCLUSION: The MBT A and B in Spanish and Catalan showed similar outcomes and can be considered equivalent. Moreover, the thorough methodology presented here for the transcultural adaptation and equivalence study, could serve as a model for future adaptations of the MBT and other verbal tests.

Reference Data of the Spanish Memory Binding Test in a Midlife Population from the ALFA STUDY (Alzheimer's and Family).

BACKGROUND: The Memory Binding Test (MBT) is a novel test based on the learning of two lists of words, developed to detect early memory impairment suggestive of Alzheimer's disease (AD). OBJECTIVE: To present and provide reference data of the Spanish MBT in a midlife population of mainly first-degree descendants of AD patients. METHODS: 472 cognitively unimpaired subjects, aged 45 to 65 and participants of the ALFA STUDY, were included. Raw scores were transformed to scaled scores on which multivariate regression analysis was applied adjusting by age, gender, and education level. A standard linear regression was employed to derive the scaled score adjusted. Sociodemographic corrections were applied and an adjustment table was constructed. RESULTS: Performance was heterogeneously influenced by sociodemographic factors. Age negatively influenced free recall. Education tends to have an influence in the results showing lower performance with lower education level. Women tend to outperform men in the learning of the first list and total recall. Only a few variables were unaffected by sociodemographic factors such as those related to semantic proactive interference (SPI) and to the retention of learned material. Our results point out that some vulnerability to SPI is expectable in cognitively healthy subjects. Close to 100% of the learned material was maintained across the delay interval. CONCLUSION: This study contributes with reference data for the MBT providing the necessary adjustments for sociodemographic characteristics. Our data may prove to be useful for detecting asymptomatic at-risk candidates for secondary prevention studies of AD.

Eficacia del tratamiento para la afasia de Wernicke en pacientes con sintomatología grave / Effective treatment for Wernicke's aphasia in patients with severe symptomatology

Introducción. La afasia es un trastorno del lenguaje que en la mayoría de los casos provoca una incapacidad para la comunicación, lo que implica un hándicap no solo para el paciente sino para el entorno familiar. La rehabilitación del paciente se considera, entonces, vital para suplir esta disfunción comunicativa. La terapia logopédica convencional es útil, pero en casos de afasias con graves alteraciones es lenta. Para subsanar este problema, en el ámbito de la afasia de Wernicke se desarrolló el «tratamiento para la afasia de Wernicke» (TAW), que se mostró efectivo en un conjunto específico de candidatos. Objetivo. Valorar el TAW en pacientes diagnosticados con afasia de Wernicke y que presentan una sintomatología grave, aunque no sean candidatos específicos al tratamiento original. Método. Se realizaron 12 sesiones del TAW con un paciente afectado por afasia de Wernicke y se comparó la actuación pre y postratamiento de este paciente con un grupo de pacientes con afasia de Wernicke (uno de ellos con igual etiología y localización) y otro grupo de pacientes con afasia sensorial transcortical (afasia de Wernicke tipo ii). Resultados. Los resultados muestran, en casi todos los ámbitos verbales analizados, una mejora mayor en el paciente que realizó el TAW respecto al resto de pacientes que siguieron una terapia logopédica convencional. Conclusiones. A partir de los resultados obtenidos se concluye que el TAW es un tratamiento terapéutico útil para toda clase de pacientes con afasia de Wernicke, y no solo para los candidatos propuestos en la rehabilitación inicial (AU)

Introduction. Aphasia is a language disorder which causes, in most cases, an inability to communicate, which implies a handicap not only for the patient but also for the family environment. Patient rehabilitation is considered vital to redress this communicative dysfunction. Conventional speech therapy is useful, but for cases of aphasia with severe disturbances it is too slow. To solve this problem, in the field of the Wernicke's aphasia was developed the Treatment for the Wernicke's aphasia (TWA), which it is showed effective in a specific set of candidates. Objective. To assess TWA in Wernicke's aphasia patients who had severe symptoms, although they were not candidates for the original conventional treatment. Method. 12 sessions of TWA were performed with a Wernicke's patient, and pre- and post-treatment results of the patient were compared with a group of Wernicke's patients (one with the same etiology and location) and with a group of transcortical sensory aphasia's patients (Wernicke aphasia type ii). Results. The results show, in almost all the analyzed verbal areas, a greater improvement in the patient who completed the TWA compared to patients who followed conventional speech therapy. Conclusions. From the results obtained in this study it can be concluded that the TWA is an useful therapeutic treatment for all classes of patients with Wernicke's aphasia, and not just for the candidates in initial rehabilitation (AU)

Una revisión de las clasificaciones sobre los automatismos: a propósito de la disociación automático-voluntaria / A review of classifications of automatisms: apropos of automatic-voluntary dissociation

Introducción: Este trabajo ofrece una revisión de las clasificaciones sobre los automatismos en el contexto de enfermos afásicos (fluentes y no fluentes), intentando distinguir los componentes verbales que forman parte de la disociación automático-voluntaria. Objetivo: A partir de las principales clasificaciones realizadas en lengua inglesa, se establecerá una distinción entre lenguaje automático y lenguaje no literal. Esta distinción será la base para conocer los automatismos que pertenecen a la disociación automático-voluntaria (que llamaremos lenguaje automático) y los que no pertenecen a tal disociación (que llamaremos lenguaje no literal). Pacientes: La clasificación de los automatismos se ejemplificará gracias al corpus PerLa, realizado en la Universidad de Valencia, con cinco afásicos fluentes y cinco afásicos no fluentes. Desarrollo: A partir de la clasificación discutida y a partir del corpus PerLA se ofrecerán ejemplos de lenguaje automático y de lenguaje no literal en enfermos afásicos fluentes y no fluentes. En esta taxonomía se observará que apenas existen diferencias en el habla de estos enfermos en relación con el lenguaje automático, pero sí con el lenguaje no literal. Conclusiones: La clasificación ofrecida permitirá a los logopedas obtener una base para poder discernir entre qué automatismos pertenecen al lenguaje automático y cuáles no. La distinción entre ambas clases de lenguaje (automático y no literal) por parte de enfermos fluentes y no fluentes es una consecuencia tanto del carácter implícito del lenguaje automático como del denominado "efecto de variación de tareas" (AU)

Introduction: This article provides a review of classifications of automatisms in the context of aphasic patients (fluent and non-fluent) and attempts to identify the verbal components forming part of automatic-voluntary dissociation. Objective: Based on the main classifications carried out in English, we aimed to distinguish between automatic language and non-literal language and to use this distinction as the basis for identifying the automatisms forming part of automatic-voluntary dissociation (which we call automatic language) and those not forming part of this dissociation (which we call non-literal language). Patients: Automatisms were classified using the Perception, Language and Aphasia (PerLA) corpus, constructed at the University of Valencia, with five fluent and five non-fluent aphasic patients. Development: Based on the classification discussed and the PerLA corpus, we provide examples of automatic and non-literal language in fluent and non-fluent aphasic patients. In this taxonomy, few differences were found in the speech of these patients in relation to automatic language but greater differences were identified in non-literal language. Conclusions: The classification proposed could help speech therapists to identify which automatisms belong to automatic language and which do not. The distinction between both classes of language (automatic and non-literal) by fluent and non-fluent patients is a consequence of both the implicit character of automatic language and of the effect of task variation (AU)