Contributions
Abstract: EP1472
Type: ePoster
Abstract Category: Pathology and pathogenesis of MS - Neuropsychology
Background: Despite the fact that verbal fluency deficits have been shown in multiple sclerosis (MS), still little is known about their characteristics in patients with primary progressive (PPMS) and secondary progressive MS (SPMS). More deficits have been shown in either PPMS or SPMS group depending on the study. Only some studies aimed to reveal the cause of decreased verbal fluency in those groups. Moreover, no study has yet compared different chronic-progressive types MS patients in abstract verbal fluency performance.
Objectives: 1) to determine the level of individual types of verbal fluency in PPSM and SPMS patients and 2) to assess the factors related to the level of different types of verbal fluency.
Methods: 28 PPSM patients, 29 SPSM patients and 29 healthy volunteers were involved in the study. The groups did not differ in terms of age, years of education and sex. Three versions of the Verbal Fluency Test (VFT) were administered: a) semantic (animals), b) phonemic (words beginning with the letter k) and c) abstract (sharp objects). In statistical analyses the authors applied the parametric or nonparametric repeated measures analysis of variance test with appropriate post hoc tests as well as parametric r and nonparametric rS correlation coefficients.
Results: The study revealed the differences between all patients and healthy subjects in the performance in all three tasks (p < 0.001). Clinical groups demonstrated differences in the types of verbal fluency (p < 0.001). Post hoc analyses indicated that patients with MS performed best in semantic fluency (p < 0.001) and worst in abstract fluency (p < 0.05). Verbal fluency tasks performance in PPSM patients was not related to age, years of education, disease duration and physical disability. Only abstract fluency in SPMS patients was positive correlated with years of education (r = 0.39; p < 0.05) and negative with disease duration (rS = -0.40; p < 0.05).
Conclusions: The study revealed the presence of verbal fluency disturbances in both clinical groups. The most reduced level of performance was observed in abstract and phonemic fluency. Psychological mechanisms underlying the disturbances were diversified. It is possible that executive dysfunctions determined the lower results in abstract and phonemic fluency tasks.
Disclosure: E. Tyburski: the research was supported by 5043000240764/2011 (Faculty of
Humanities, University of Szczecin), A. Potemkowski: nothing to disclose, A. Sołtys: nothing to disclose, M. Chęć: nothing to disclose, A. Sokołowski: nothing to disclose, A. Samochowiec: nothing to disclose
Abstract: EP1472
Type: ePoster
Abstract Category: Pathology and pathogenesis of MS - Neuropsychology
Background: Despite the fact that verbal fluency deficits have been shown in multiple sclerosis (MS), still little is known about their characteristics in patients with primary progressive (PPMS) and secondary progressive MS (SPMS). More deficits have been shown in either PPMS or SPMS group depending on the study. Only some studies aimed to reveal the cause of decreased verbal fluency in those groups. Moreover, no study has yet compared different chronic-progressive types MS patients in abstract verbal fluency performance.
Objectives: 1) to determine the level of individual types of verbal fluency in PPSM and SPMS patients and 2) to assess the factors related to the level of different types of verbal fluency.
Methods: 28 PPSM patients, 29 SPSM patients and 29 healthy volunteers were involved in the study. The groups did not differ in terms of age, years of education and sex. Three versions of the Verbal Fluency Test (VFT) were administered: a) semantic (animals), b) phonemic (words beginning with the letter k) and c) abstract (sharp objects). In statistical analyses the authors applied the parametric or nonparametric repeated measures analysis of variance test with appropriate post hoc tests as well as parametric r and nonparametric rS correlation coefficients.
Results: The study revealed the differences between all patients and healthy subjects in the performance in all three tasks (p < 0.001). Clinical groups demonstrated differences in the types of verbal fluency (p < 0.001). Post hoc analyses indicated that patients with MS performed best in semantic fluency (p < 0.001) and worst in abstract fluency (p < 0.05). Verbal fluency tasks performance in PPSM patients was not related to age, years of education, disease duration and physical disability. Only abstract fluency in SPMS patients was positive correlated with years of education (r = 0.39; p < 0.05) and negative with disease duration (rS = -0.40; p < 0.05).
Conclusions: The study revealed the presence of verbal fluency disturbances in both clinical groups. The most reduced level of performance was observed in abstract and phonemic fluency. Psychological mechanisms underlying the disturbances were diversified. It is possible that executive dysfunctions determined the lower results in abstract and phonemic fluency tasks.
Disclosure: E. Tyburski: the research was supported by 5043000240764/2011 (Faculty of
Humanities, University of Szczecin), A. Potemkowski: nothing to disclose, A. Sołtys: nothing to disclose, M. Chęć: nothing to disclose, A. Sokołowski: nothing to disclose, A. Samochowiec: nothing to disclose