Contributions
Abstract: EP1592
Type: ePoster
Abstract Category: Pathology and pathogenesis of MS - 24 Neuropsychology
Background: Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) exhibited deficiencies in the performance of verbal fluency tasks. However, most studies analysed mainly the number of correctly produced words in particular tasks' variants. Little is known about verbal strategies applied by patients that facilitate the performance of the described test.
Objectives: The characteristics of semantic and phonemic fluency as well as verbal strategies adopted by MS patients.
Methods: The study embraced 30 patients with diagnosed relapsing-remitting MS as well as 30 people without neurological diseases or mental disorders. Both groups matched for age, sex or number of years of education. Two versions of the Verbal Fluency Test were applied: semantic (names of animals) and phonemic (words beginning with K).
Results: In semantic fluency test MS patients obtained significantly lower results compared with the control group with regard to the following indicators: the number of correct answers, the number of clusters, the number of switches as well as the ratio of the number of switches to the number of correct answers. Similarly, patients demonstrated worse results in phonemic variant in the following parameters: the number of correct answers, the number of switches and the ratio of the number of switches to the number of correct answers. In turn, in semantic fluency patients obtained better results than healthy individuals for cluster's size and in phonemic variant in the ratio of the number of clusters to the number of correct answers. Medium effect sizes were demonstrated for three indicators and large ones for the other indicators. No significant inter-group differences were found for other measures.
Conclusions: Patients' lower results demonstrated in the ratio of the number of switches to the number of correct answers in both variants of the test as well as no differences found in the ratio of the number of clusters to the number of correct answers in semantic variant and, at the same time, better results of patients in this component in phonemic variant could suggest the dominance of disturbances in executive functions over the problems in the scope of semantic memory in these patients. However, the performance of both tasks could also be hindered by deficiencies in language functions and slower information processing.
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, M. Kowalewski: nothing to disclose, A. Samochowiec: nothing to disclose
Abstract: EP1592
Type: ePoster
Abstract Category: Pathology and pathogenesis of MS - 24 Neuropsychology
Background: Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) exhibited deficiencies in the performance of verbal fluency tasks. However, most studies analysed mainly the number of correctly produced words in particular tasks' variants. Little is known about verbal strategies applied by patients that facilitate the performance of the described test.
Objectives: The characteristics of semantic and phonemic fluency as well as verbal strategies adopted by MS patients.
Methods: The study embraced 30 patients with diagnosed relapsing-remitting MS as well as 30 people without neurological diseases or mental disorders. Both groups matched for age, sex or number of years of education. Two versions of the Verbal Fluency Test were applied: semantic (names of animals) and phonemic (words beginning with K).
Results: In semantic fluency test MS patients obtained significantly lower results compared with the control group with regard to the following indicators: the number of correct answers, the number of clusters, the number of switches as well as the ratio of the number of switches to the number of correct answers. Similarly, patients demonstrated worse results in phonemic variant in the following parameters: the number of correct answers, the number of switches and the ratio of the number of switches to the number of correct answers. In turn, in semantic fluency patients obtained better results than healthy individuals for cluster's size and in phonemic variant in the ratio of the number of clusters to the number of correct answers. Medium effect sizes were demonstrated for three indicators and large ones for the other indicators. No significant inter-group differences were found for other measures.
Conclusions: Patients' lower results demonstrated in the ratio of the number of switches to the number of correct answers in both variants of the test as well as no differences found in the ratio of the number of clusters to the number of correct answers in semantic variant and, at the same time, better results of patients in this component in phonemic variant could suggest the dominance of disturbances in executive functions over the problems in the scope of semantic memory in these patients. However, the performance of both tasks could also be hindered by deficiencies in language functions and slower information processing.
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, M. Kowalewski: nothing to disclose, A. Samochowiec: nothing to disclose