Dysphagia following cerebellar stroke: analyzing the contribution of the cerebellum to swallowing function.

Swallowing is essential for human health, and the cerebellum is crucial for motor movement regulation. Cerebellar strokes may cause dysphagia, but their exact effects remain unexplored in swallowing function. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the precise clinical characteristics of the oral and pharyngeal phases of swallowing after cerebellar stroke and to critically discuss the cerebellum's contribution to swallowing. The study involved 34 participants with cerebellar strokes, gathered through convenience sampling. Neurologists diagnosed isolated strokes, and a speech and language pathologist examined swallowing ability using the Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability. The study found that 52.9% of people experienced dysphagia after a cerebellar stroke. Dysphagia was significantly associated with a higher risk of aspiration. Age was also significantly correlated with dysphagia. No significant correlation was found between swallowing ability and sex. In conclusion, this study suggests isolated cerebellar stroke can adversely affect the motor and non-motor aspects of swallowing and cause severe dysphagia and aspiration risk. Thus, early diagnosis and timely management of dysphagia following a cerebellar stroke can help prevent serious consequences.

Translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and validation of the Persian version of Everyday Memory Questionnaire-Revised (EMQ-R) in patients with multiple sclerosis.

PURPOSE: The present research translated and validated the Persian version of the Everyday Memory Questionnaire-Revised (EMQ-R) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). METHODS: A two-step study was performed in the current work. First, the scale was translated and culturally adopted to Persian. In the second step, the translated questionnaire was presented to 150 patients with MS and 50 individuals in the control group. Then, construct validity (factor analysis and clinical validity) and reliability measures (test-retest reliability and internal consistency) were computed for this questionnaire. RESULTS: Patients with MS obtained higher scores in EMQ-R than the control group (p < .001). The findings of the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin and Bartlett test approved the sampling adequacy for computing the factor analysis (p < .001). The accuracy of the three-dimensional structure was confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Findings of test-retest (ICC = .95, 95%CI .91-.98, p < .001) and internal consistency revealed a satisfactory value (α = .95, p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Satisfactory findings for construct validity and high values for reliability revealed that the Persian version of EMQ-R is a reliable and valid scale to measure the everyday memory of patients with MS in the cognitive assessments of this group.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONPersian EMQ-R is a valid, reliable, fast, and easy to administer tool for evaluating the beliefs and insights of patients suffering from MS or other clinical conditions about their cognitive dysfunctions, in day-to-day lives with some differentiation between memory and attentional difficulties. This questionnaire can be a practical clinical tool for the assessment of the cognitive deficits, which might not be detected via formal neuropsychological assessments, and could be a valuable scale to measure the effects of treatment approaches to level up memory function in a way that could be generalized to daily life performance.