ΠΜΣ Κλινική Νευροφυσιολογία
Library of the School of Health Sciences

2018-06-27

2018

Tsirtsiridis Georgios

Ευδοκιμίδης Ιωάννης, Ομότιμος Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Πόταγας Κωνσταντίνος, Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Ζαλώνης Ιωάννης, Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ

Narrative speech characteristics in non-demented patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and their role in predicting patients' cognitive status.

English

Narrative speech characteristics in non-demented patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and their role in predictive patients' cognitive status.

Abstract: ALS is a neurodegenerative disease, mostly known for its motor symptoms. However, it has also been found to cause a variety of neuropsychological deficits, related to memory and executive functions. Language deficits are also very common among these patients. Our study focused on the pattern of pauses in the narrative speech in non-demented ALS patients and their predictive role in patients’ other cognitive functions. We included 15 patients with ALS and 14 healthy controls (HC) and we used three narrations (Patient Story, Jesus’ Birth Story and The Cookie Theft), each one of which involves different degrees of required cognitive demands, such as speech organization emotional charge and required different degrees of and access to semantic memory. Pauses frequency, total and mean pauses duration and words produced per minute were the narrative speech characteristics that were examined. Patients’ cognitive functions were also assessed using the Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioral ALS Scale (ECAS) and depressive symptomatology using the ADI-12 scale. We did not find significant differences between ALS and HC in narrative speech characteristics. Both groups presented significant differences in different conditions of narrative speech. Finally within ALS group, we found that some characteristics of the narrative speech can differentially predict their performance in language, verbal fluency, executive functions and memory. In conclusion, the characteristic of narrative speech like words produced and the pattern of pauses do not differentiate non-demented patients with ALS from healthy individuals. However, they tend to vary in both groups when conditions of narrative speech include different degrees of emotional charge and executive functions. Furthermore, within the patient group, certain characteristics of the narrative speech can predict their performance in certain cognitive fields.

Health Sciences

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Narrative speech, Pauses, Cognitive status, Neuropsychological deficits.

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https://pergamos.lib.uoa.gr/uoa/dl/object/2775783