Language is the most important source of interpersonal communication. Therefore, studies on language functions are crucial in assessing various clinical groups, especially patients with cognitive function disorders. In patients in the early stages of dementia, there are numerous disturbances in verbal functions, including verbal fluency disorders. The analysis of verbal fluency in patients with different dysfunctions, such as damage to the right, left, or both hemispheres of the brain [1], has found application in the differential diagnosis of neurological disorders in children and adolescents [2], as well as in neuropsychological diagnostics [3], [4], [5] which has been systematically explored for several years. However, few studies on verbal fluency disorders in patients with cognitive impairments focus on comprehensive interdisciplinary neuropsycholinguistic analysis [6]. Therefore, it was decided to analyze the specifics of verbal fluency disorders in patients in the early stage of dementia, at the mild cognitive impairment stage, as well as in patients with clinical manifestations of dementia-related diseases. The aim of this research project is to examine and analyze verbal fluency in individuals with cognitive dysfunction at the level of mild cognitive impairment and dementia, including those with Alzheimer's disease. The results of verbal fluency test (MMSE) studies in patients showing similar disorders will be subjected to analysis. Using tools for corpus data analysis [7], [8], [9] the most frequently occurring words extracted from patient studies through the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scale for assessing mental status will be examined.
Keywords |
verbal fluency tests, MMSE, functional disorders, cognitive disorders, corpus analysis |
References |
[1] Szepietowska, E.M., Lipian, J. (2012) Fluencja słowna neutralna i afektywna u chorych z uszkodzeniem prawej, lewej lub obu półkul mózgu. Psychiatr Pol 2012; Volume 46: 539–551. [2] Biechowska D., Kaczmarek I., Witkowska M., Steinborn B., 2012, Przydatność prób fluencji słownej w diagnozie różnicowej zaburzeń neurologicznych u dzieci i młodzieży, „Neurologia Dziecięca” Volume 21, Issue 42, 45–51. [3] Borkowska, A. (2011) Pamięć i jej zaburzenia w MCI. Medical Education. Warszawa. [4] Piskunowicz, M., Bieliński, M., Zgliński, A., Borkowska, A. (2013) Testy fluencji słownej – zastosowanie w diagnostyce neuropsychologicznej. Psychiatria Polska 2013, Volume XLVII, Issue 3. [5] Podemski, R., Słotwiński K. (2003) Zaburzenia mowy w procesach otępiennych, [in:] Choroby otępienne. Teoria i praktyka, ed. J. Leszek, Wrocław, 271–283. [6] Strauss, E., Sherman, E.M.S., Spreen, O. (2006) A Compendium of neuropsychological tests: Administration, norms, and commentary. New York: Oxford University Press. [7] Sinclair, J.McH. (1991) Corpus, Concordance, Collocation. Oxford: OUP. [8] Sinclair, J.McH. (2004) Trust the Text: Language corpus and discourse. London: Routledge. [9] Scott, M. (2015) WordSmith Tools 6.0. Liverpool: Lexical Analysis Software. |