Clustering and switching in verbal fluency: a comparison between control and individuals with brain damage / Clustering e switching na fluência verbal: comparação entre controles e indivíduos com prejuízo cerebral

ABSTRACT Purpose The aim of this study is to analyze and compare the performance and strategies used by control subjects and patients with unilateral brain damage on phonemic and semantic Verbal Fluency tasks. Methods The sample consisted of 104 participants divided into four groups (26 with left hemisphere damage and aphasia- LHDa, 28 with left hemisphere damage and no aphasia- LHDna, 25 with right hemisphere damage- RHD and 25 neurologically healthy control subjects). All participants were administered the phonemic ("M" letter-based) and semantic (animals) verbal fluency tasks from the Montreal-Toulouse Language Assessment Battery (MTL-BR). Results Patients in the LHDa group showed the worst performance (fewer words produced, fewer clusters and switches) in both types of fluency task. RHD group showed fewer switching productions when compared with controls and LHDna had fewer words productions than controls in the first 30 seconds block. Conclusion Our findings suggest that the LHDa group obtained lower scores in most measures of SVF and PVF when compared to the other groups.

RESUMO Objetivo analisar e comparar o desempenho e as estratégias utilizadas por indivíduos controle e pacientes com lesão cerebral unilateral em tarefas de Fluência Verbal fonêmica e semântica. Método A amostra foi composta por 104 participantes, divididos em quatro grupos (26 com lesão no hemisfério esquerdo e afasia - LHEa, 28 com lesão no hemisfério esquerdo e sem afasia - LHEna, 25 com lesão no hemisfério direito - LHD e 25 controles neurologicamente saudáveis). Todos os participantes realizaram tarefas de fluência verbal fonêmica - FVF (com letra "M") e semântica- FVS (animais) da Bateria Montreal-Toulouse de Avaliação da Linguagem (MTL-BR). Resultados Pacientes do grupo LHEa apresentaram pior desempenho (menos palavras produzidas, menos clusters e switching) nos dois tipos de tarefas de fluência. O grupo LHD mostrou menos produções de switching quando comparado aos controles. O grupo LHEna teve menos produções de palavras que os controles no primeiro bloco de 30 segundos. Conclusão Nossos achados concluem que o grupo LHEa obteve escores mais baixos na maioria das medidas de FVS e FVF quando comparado aos demais grupos.

Brief Montreal-Toulouse Language Assessment Battery: adaptation and content validity

Background Evaluating patients in the acute phase of brain damage allows for the early detection of cognitive and linguistic impairments and the implementation of more effective interventions. However, few cross-cultural instruments are available for the bedside assessment of language abilities. The aim of this study was to develop a brief assessment instrument and evaluate its content validity. Methods Stimuli for the new assessment instrument were selected from the M1-Alpha and MTL-BR batteries (Stage 1). Sixty-five images were redesigned and analyzed by non-expert judges (Stage 2). This was followed by the analysis of expert judges (Stage 3), where nine speech pathologists with doctoral training and experience in aphasiology and/or linguistics evaluated the images, words, nonwords, and phrases for inclusion in the instrument. Two pilot studies (Stage 4) were then conducted in order to identify any remaining errors in the instrument and scoring instructions. Results Sixty of the 65 figures examined by the judges achieved inter-rater agreement rates of at least 80%. Modifications were suggested to 22 images, which were therefore reanalyzed by the judges, who reached high levels of inter-rater agreement (AC1 = 0.98 [CI = 0.96-1]). New types of stimuli such as nonwords and irregular words were also inserted in the Brief Battery and favorably evaluated by the expert judges. Optional tasks were also developed for specific diagnostic situations. After the correction of errors detected in Stage 4, the final version of the instrument was obtained. Conclusion This study confirmed the content validity of the Brief MTL-BR Battery. The method used in this investigation was effective and can be used in future studies to develop brief instruments based on preexisting assessment batteries.

Montreal Communication Evaluation Brief Battery - MEC B: reliability and validity / Bateria Montreal de Avaliação da Comunicação Breve - MAC B: fidedignidade e validade

ABSTRACT Purpose Search for reliability and validity evidence for the Montreal Communication Evaluation Brief Battery (MEC B) for adults with right brain damage. Methods Three hundred twenty-four healthy adults and 26 adults with right brain damage, aged 19-75 years, with two or more years of education were evaluated with MEC B. The MEC B Battery contains nine tasks that aim to evaluate communicative abilities as discourse, prosody, lexical-semantic and pragmatic process. Two sources of reliability evidence were used: internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) and interrater reliability. Construct validity was evaluated comparing the Montreal Communication Evaluation Battery (MEC), expanded version and MEC B tasks. Results Internal consistence was satisfactory and the interrater reliability was considered excellent, as were correlations between MEC Battery and MEC B Battery tasks. Conclusion The MEC B Battery showed satisfactory reliability and validity evidences. It can be used as outcome measure of intervention programs and assist speech therapists to plan rehabilitation programs.

RESUMO Objetivo Buscar evidências de validade e fidedignidade da Bateria Montreal de Avaliação da Comunicação Breve (MAC B) para adultos com lesão do hemisfério direito. Método Trezentos e vinte e quatro adultos saudáveis e 26 adultos com lesão cerebral direita, com idades de 19 a 75 anos, com dois ou mais anos de escolaridade, foram avaliados com a Bateria MAC B. Essa bateria contém nove tarefas que visam avaliar habilidades comunicativas, como: discurso prosódia; processo léxico-semântico e pragmática. Duas fontes de evidências de fidedignidade foram utilizadas, ou seja, a consistência interna (alfa de Cronbach) e a concordância entre avaliadores. A validade foi avaliada comparando as tarefas da Bateria MAC na versão expandida e da MAC B. Resultados Em relação à fidedignidade, a consistência interna foi satisfatória e as taxas de concordância entre os avaliadores foram consideradas excelentes, assim como as correlações entre as tarefas da Bateria MAC e Bateria MAC B. Conclusão A Bateria MAC B apresentou evidências de fidedignidade e validade satisfatórias, podendo ser usada como medida para resultado de programas de intervenção, e também auxiliar o fonoaudiólogo a planejar o programa de reabilitação.

Intervenção fonoaudiológica na afasia expressiva: revisão integrativa / Speech-language intervention in expressive aphasia: integrative review

RESUMO Introdução Por meio da intervenção fonoaudiológica, é possível diminuir os sintomas da afasia. Objetivos Verificar os métodos de intervenção fonoaudiológica na afasia expressiva. Estratégia de pesquisa Trata-se de uma revisão integrativa da literatura. Realizou-se a busca nas bases SciELO, PubMed e PsycINFO, no período de fevereiro a abril de 2018. Para as bases de dados PubMed e PsycINFO foram estabelecidos os descritores em inglês "non-fluent aphasia", OR "broca" OR "transcortical motor aphasia" OR "motor aphasia" OR "amnestic aphasia" OR "semantic aphasia" OR "dymanic aphasia" OR "anomi*" AND "intervention" OR "therapy" OR "rehabilitation" OR "treatment". Para base SciELO, apenas o descritor "aphasia". Critérios de seleção Artigos publicados nos últimos dez anos (de 2009 a 2018) em português, inglês ou espanhol foram incluídos, sendo ou não de periódicos de acesso livre, além de estudos com indivíduos com idade superior a 19 anos. Foram excluídos artigos não relacionados à terapia tradicional, estudos que não apresentassem indivíduos com afasia expressiva e aqueles que tratavam de distúrbios motores de fala, como disartria e apraxia pura. Estudos de revisão de literatura e que envolvessem participantes bilíngues também foram excluídos. Resultados Um total de 174 artigos foram encontrados. Após análise e aplicação dos critérios de seleção estabelecidos, foram selecionados 32 artigos completos. Entre as terapias tradicionais encontradas, observaram-se: terapia de recuperação de palavras, terapia melódica e terapia conversacional. Conclusão A terapia de recuperação de palavras foi o método tradicional mais utilizado.

ABSTRACT Introduction Aphasia symptoms can be improved via speech and language therapy. Purpose To analyze speech-language intervention methods in expressive aphasia. Research strategy An integrative review of the literature was performed using SciELO, PubMed and PsycINFO databases, from February to April 2018. The following search terms: "non-fluent aphasia", OR "broca" OR "transcortical motor aphasia" OR "motor aphasia" OR "amnestic aphasia" OR "semantic aphasia" OR "dymanic aphasia" OR "anomi*" AND "intervention" OR "therapy" OR "rehabilitation" OR "treatment" were used for PubMed and PsycINFO databases. In SciELO database, only the search term "aphasia" was used. Selection criteria Articles published in the last ten years (from 2009 to 2018) in Portuguese, English or Spanish, whether or not they were open access journals. Studies with participants older than 19 years were selected. Articles not related to traditional therapy were excluded, as well as those which did not present participants with expressive aphasia and those which treated speech motor disorders such as pure dysarthria and pure apraxia. Literature review studies and studies involving bilingual participants were also excluded. Results One hundred and seventy-four articles were found. After analysis and application of the established selection criteria, 32 complete articles were selected. Word retrieval therapy, melodic intonation therapy and conversation therapy were the traditional methods found in this study. Conclusion Word retrieval therapy was the method most commonly used.