Word finding difficulties in multiple sclerosis

Word finding difficulty is a known impairments in multiple sclerosis (MS). The purpose of this study is to adapt homophone meaning generation test to Persian language, and then examine word storage and access in multiple sclerosis patients through these three word-finding tests. This study examined the word retrieval in 90 Persian speaking patients with multiple sclerosis and 90 matched healthy controls through three tasks: semantic fluency, phonemic fluency, and homophonic meaning generation. The Persian homophone meaning generation test had a strong convergent validity with semantic and phonemic switching and an adequate divergent validity with semantic and phonemic clustering. There was a significant difference between two groups in all three tests (p<0.001) except semantic and phonetic clustering (p≥ 0.05). Multiple sclerosis is a disease affecting word access, but not the word storage, and Persian homophone meaning generation test is an appropriate, valid, and reliable test to evaluate word-finding difficulties in this population. HMGT

[ effect of musical activities on executive function in patients with schizophrenia]

Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness which is associated with movement disorders and executive dysfunction. Some type of executive impairments could be treated by training. This study was carried out with the aim of assessing the effect of musical activities on the executive function of patients with schizophrenia. In this Clinical trial 56 patients who were members of Iranian Association of Patients with Schizophrenia, randomly divided into two groups. In intervention group 30 patients and in control group 26 patients were allocated randomly. The intervention group took part in 24 music therapy sessions. Scores were gathered using STROOP, Tower of London, Wisconsin Card Sorting and Purede Peg Board in the pretest and posttest stages. There was no significant difference between groups in Stroop [P>0.05], however after course, scores has increased in intervention group. Tower of London results were not significantly different [P>0.05], although intervention group showed less speed but more points. The results of Purede Peg Board were not significantly different [P>0.05]. In Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, intervention group had better function [P<0.05]. Music can enhance executive function scores, but factors like larger sample size and follow up periods should be considered.

Comparing the effectiveness of paroxetine, attention modification program and combination of both on improving social anxiety symptoms

Although the effectiveness of paroxetine and Attention Modification Program has been studied separately in treating social anxiety disorder, there has been no research comparing them according to the literature. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of paroxetine, Attention Modification Program [AMP] and combination of both on improving the Social Anxiety Symptoms. 33 patients meeting DSM-IV-TR criteria for social anxiety disorder were randomly assigned in 3 groups: 11 in paroxetine group, 11 in AMP group and 11 in combined group. Treatment intervention was done during 8 weeks period. Social Phobia Inventory [SPIN], Beck Depression Inventory [BDI-II] and Sheehan Disability Scale [SDS] were administered before and after treatment intervention. One-way Analysis of Covariance [ANCOVA] was used to determine the differences and efficacy of treatment interventions between groups. Data analysis was done by SPSS-16 software. 28 participants completed the treatment period. One-way ANCOVA results showed statistically significant differences in post-treatment scores of social phobia [p=0/007], depressive symptoms [p=0.007] and daily life functioning treatment is significantly more effective than AMP in reducing social phobia symptoms [p=0.007], depressive symptoms [p=0.022] and enhancing daily life functioning [0.019%]. Yet, there were no significant differences between Paroxetine and combined treatment in all post-treatment scores [p=0.890], p=1.000, p=1.000 for social phobia, depressive symptoms and daily life functioning respectively]. paroxetine showed more significant improvement of depressive symptoms [p=0.016] and enhancing daily life functioning [p=0.045] than AMP. Also, there were no significant differences between paroxetine and AMP in reducing social anxiety symptoms. It seems that paroxetine has wider effect in reducing social anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms and enhancing daily life functioning than AMP and adding to paroxetine does not make significant changes than medicating with paroxetine alone

[Development, validity and reliability of the speech prosody comprehension test]

The communication process includes both verbal and nonverbal elements. Nonverbal behavior or body language includes facial expression, eye contact, posture and prosody. Prosody conveys semantic or affective information to a listener. Nonetheless, so far in Iran no report on assessment of speech prosody comprehension in patients has ever been published. The aim of this study was to measure the validity and reliability of the prosody comprehension test specifically designed for the Persian language and culture. This study is a type of test development. 73 sentences were orated by 22 professional vocalists in eight different prosodies. A total of 6582 voices were prepared which were listened by 200, 18-30 year-old students and a voice specialist. Having the content validity calculated for all voices, 1473 voices were found to be unanimously agreed upon by all participants in terms of emotional status which were analyzed by a voice specialist. Eventually, 169 voices were selected for developing the prosody comprehension test including the following four subtests: none motional prosody discrimination, emotional discrimination, naming of prosody and naming conflicts. Reliability of the test was determined by performing the test on 32, 18-60 year-old normal people. The designed test of comprehension prosody had 100% content validity ratio and 94% reliability and the correlation of test of prosody was 89% [p=0.001]. This test in Persian language has appropriate validity and reliability and is appropriate for assessment of prosody comprehension

[Audiology service satisfaction and level of anxiety in parents with hearing-impaired children]

Hearing-impaired children make a lot of stress for the parents. Providing the parents of these children with suitable consultation and rehabilitation services results in increased satisfaction and reduced anxiety level. In this study we investigated the relationship between audiology service satisfaction and level of anxiety in parents of hearing-impaired children. Seventy-five parents of hearing-impaired children, whose problem was diagnosed during the last year, participated in the study. The mothers were interviewed using satisfaction and anxiety questionnaires. There was no association between level of service satisfaction and parental state and trait anxiety level; however, the group with a higher level of satisfaction [score 64-90] recorded a lower anxiety score [0-20]. There was also a significant association between parental state and trait anxiety level [p<0.001]. Considering the demographic data, only the living place [Tehran compared with other provinces] showed a significant association with satisfaction and anxiety levels; people living in small provinces had a significantly less satisfaction level [p=0.002] and a more anxiety score [p=0.017]. Lack of durability of services was the concern of people living in small provinces which resulted in being more anxious and less satisfied

Translation, reliability and validity of the Newsha hearing, language and speech development scale among children in Iran

To translate and to test reliability and validity of the Newsha Hearing, Language and Speech Development Scale in Iran. The first version of Newsha scale was prepared in four developmental milestones of "hearing", "receptive language", "expressive language" and "speech" in 13 age groups from birth to 72 months via much survey on different related resources. After a pilot study on 75 children and performing necessary corrections, the test was conducted on 593 normal children of both sexes in nurseries and health centers of Tehran province from July 2006 to August 2007. The teat-retest reliability, inter-rater reliability, content validity and construct validity of the test were determined. More than 95% correlation was shown in both test-retest and inter-rater reliabilities [P < 0.001]. The content validity revealed "perfect" and "too much" options of seven choices Likert scale in more than 90%, and construct validity exhibited the effect of age on the test results. Accepting minimum or higher score was considered as the criteria of Newsha findings interpretation in all age groups of each developmental milestone. For the cases who can not accept this criterion, completion of scale in lower age[s] group to define any probable developmental delay is necessary. The sex difference was shown just in 3 items among all the 373 items of the scale [P < 0.02]. The "Newsha Developmental Scale" is an integrated and a comprehensive scale to evaluate development process and identify any delay in developmental abilities of children with Persian language from birth to 6 years of age that has good reliability and validity

[Cochlear responses and auditory brainstem response functions in adults with auditory neuropathy/ dys-synchrony and individuals with normal hearing]

Physiologic measures of cochlear and auditory nerve function may be of assistance in distinguishing between hearing disorders due primarily to auditory nerve impairment from those due primarily to cochlear hair cells dysfunction. The goal of present study was to measure of co-chlear responses [otoacoustic emissions and cochlear microphonics] and auditory brainstem response in some adults with auditory neuropathy/ dys-synchrony and subjects with normal hearing. Patients were 16 adults [32 ears] in age range of 14-30 years with auditory neuropathy/ dys-synchrony and 16 individuals in age range of 16-30 years from both sexes. The results of transient otoacoustic emissions, cochlear microphonics and auditory brainstem response measures were compared in both groups and the effects of age, sex, ear and degree of hearing loss were studied. The pure-tone average was 48.1 dB HL in auditory neuropathy/dys-synchrony group and the frequency of low tone loss and flat audiograms were higher among other audiogram's shapes. Transient otoacoustic emissions were shown in all auditory neuropathy/dys-synchrony people except two cases and its average was near in both studied groups. The latency and amplitude of the biggest reversed co-chlear microphonics response were higher in auditory neuropathy/dys-synchrony patients than control people significantly. The correlation between cochlear microphonics amplitude and degree of hearing loss was not significant, and age had significant effect in some cochlear microphonics measures. Audi-tory brainstem response had no response in auditory neuropathy/dys-synchrony patients even with low stimuli rates. In adults with speech understanding worsen than predicted from the degree of hearing loss that suspect to auditory neuropathy/ dys-synchrony, the frequency of low tone loss and flat audiograms are higher. Usually auditory brainstem response is absent in this patients and use of both otoacoustic emissions and cochlear microphonics responses to measure cochlear hair cells function are suggested in them

[Differential impairment of noun and verb consequent to LH lesions in Persian aphasic patients]

The major focus of this research is on the differential disruption of language abilities subsequent to brain damages as they relate to site and size of lesion, especially left hemisphere lesions which disrupt the production and processing of "Nouns" vs. "Verbs" as two functionally different lexical categories. Several clinical as well as experimental studies reported on different language have shown that nouns and verbs can be independently disrupted due to brain damage. A prevalent impairment in naming actions [Producing verbs] is reported in non-fluent aphasic patients, with lesions involving left frontal lobe, whereas a selective in naming objects [Producing nouns] has been observed in amnesic patients, with lesions involving the temporal lobe and the temporal lobe and the posterior association aresas. This research is a theoretical and fundamental based on descriptive and analytical method. The aphasic data in this research were obtained by assessing each patient and aposs aphasic symptoms using a standard Persian aphasia test [Paradis, Nilipoure, Paribakht, 1989] as well as post-test analysis of each patient and apos connected descriptive speech. The subjects were selected form among aphasics who referred to speech therapy centers in Tehran during a pe5iod of one year since autumn 1999. The subjects selected in the study were a homogenous group with left hemisphere lesions due to CVA. They were educated adult right handed. Speakers of Persian without any risk factor such as nicotine, alcohol or any addiction and diabetes with no gross depression or anxiety problems or face and oral paralysis and hemiaopsia. The subjects in this study comprised to adults ranging between 33 and 76 years of age. The results indicated that there are significant correlation between: 1] The production of nouns and left hemisphere lesion. 2] The production of verbs and left hemisphere lesion. 3] Brain lesion and language deficits. 4] The site of lesion and language abilities. Although the data are limited and the generalization of the study has certain restrictions, the present data indicate some specific and reliable evidence on the selective impairment of nouns and verbs due to different lesions in the left hemisphere