Motor neurological soft signs are strongly correlated with verbal fluency among patients with schizophrenia attending UKMMC psychiatric clinic

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S2) ◽  
pp. 1533-1533
Author(s):  
H. Zakaria ◽  
A.H. Abdul Rahman

IntroductionNeurological soft signs (NSS) are subtle indicator of brain dysfunction, which are present in excess among patients with schizophrenia. Its clinical significance remains unclear despite extensive researches.ObjectiveTo determine the proportion of schizophrenia patients who have motor NSS and then to compare the performance in verbal fluency between these two groups; with and without motor NSS.MethodThis cross-sectional study utilized the Brief Motor Scale (BMS) to investigate the presence of motor NSS in 80 schizophrenia patients attended Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC) psychiatric clinic. The diagnosis was confirmed by Mini International Neuropsychiatic Interview (MINI). Symptomatology and abnormal motor movement were assessed using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) respectively. A brief battery of cognitive tests covering aspects of attention, working memory and executive function was administered. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were applied to look for any relationship between study factors.ResultsMajority of schizophrenia patients (68.8%) in this study have motor NSS. The motor NSS were correlated with verbal fluency, digit span forward, digit span backward, and trail making B but not with trail making A (p < 0.05). However, verbal fluency was the only factor that remained significantly correlated with motor NSS after multivariate analysis.ConclusionsThe assessment of motor NSS represents a brief, inexpensive and meaningful tool in psychiatry. Together with verbal fluency, it has the potential as an illness marker and a link between neurobiological research and clinical practice.

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 403-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nariana Mattos Figueiredo Sousa ◽  
Roberta Correa Macedo

ABSTRACT Gait disorders may be associated with cognitive impairment, and slow speed predicts cognitive impairment and dementia. Objective: To investigate the relationships between cognitive function and gait performance in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) who attended a hospital neurorehabilitation program. Methods: Descriptive and inferential statistics (Pearson’s correlation) were used for data analysis. The cognitive functions were evaluated through Digit Span, Mental Control, Trail Making Test, Phonemic Verbal Fluency Task, and Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination III. The motor function was assessed through 10-meter walk test, Mini BESTest and Timed Up and Go Test. Results: A total of 65 patients were included in this study. Of these, 66.15% were males, mean age was 61.14 (8.39) years, mean educational was 12 (8) years, disease progression time was 5.45 (4.37) years. 64.61% were in stages I and II of the Hoehn and Yahr stage. The correlation analyses showed that balance skills are significantly correlated with the ability to switch attention between two tasks and visuospatial function. The function mobility showed a significant correlation with cognitive tests. Conclusion: Data suggest the importance of the aspects of switch attention and mental flexibility in gait, evidencing the greater difficulty for double tasks.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Ankit Awasthi ◽  
Arpit Koolwal ◽  
Nikita Dhaka ◽  
Ghanshyam Das Koolwal ◽  
Sanjay Gehlot

Background: Cognitive dysfunction is an established entity in bipolar disorder. The affected individuals exhibit wide-ranging deficits involving multiple domains of cognitive functioning. These deficits are associated with poor functional outcome and residual disability in patients. A substantial literature exists globally on cognition in bipolar disorder; however, few studies have been carried out on this subject in India and    in Rajasthan. The aim of the study is to compare cognitive functions of bipolar disorder patients and healthy control subjects. Subjects and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Psychiatry department of a tertiary care institution on 50 bipolar disorder patients and matched healthy controls subjects who fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The diagnosis was made by DSM-V criteria, and symptom severity was determined by the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D). After seeking socio-demographic details, all participants were administered the Post Graduate Institute Battery of Brain Dysfunction (PGI-BBD) to assess cognitive functioning. Data collected were subjected to suitable statistical analysis (mean, standard deviation, and chi-square test). Results: The majority of the bipolar disorder patients (54%) were under 35 years of age, were males (60%), were from the urban background (70%), and were married (82%). Bipolar disorder patients performed poorly on all domains of cognitive functioning, i.e. memory, performance and verbal intelligence, and perceptuo-motor skills. Conclusion: The present study affirmed the previous findings of wide-spread cognitive impairment in bipolar disorder patients. Prompt diagnosis and treatment are the key steps to reduce the cognitive morbidity associated with this disorder.


2019 ◽  
pp. 85-91
Author(s):  
Dinh Duong Le ◽  
Van Thang Vo ◽  
Thi Mai Nguyen ◽  
Thi Han Vo ◽  
Huu Chau Duc Nguyen ◽  
...  

Objectives: The study aims to explore the prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and to examine the associated factors with ADHD among primary students by Vanderbilt ADHD rating scale for teacher and parents. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was conducted in 564 students who selected randomly in 4 primary schools in Hue city. Vanderbilt ADHD rating scale for parents and teachers were applied to evaluate the ADHD of children over 6 months ago. Results: The overall prevalence of children who had high risk with ADHD was 4.1% (95%CI: 2.44 - 5.72), including 4.6% and 4.8% in the rating of teachers and parents, respectively. Male was more likely to have ADHD than female (OR adj: 4.64 (95%CI: 1.53 - 14.05) and lack of closely friend (OR adj: 5.11 (95% CI: 2.13 - 12.24). Conclusion: Vanderbilt ADHD diagnosis rating scale for teachers and parents can be used to early recognization children with a high risk of ADHD. Key words: ADHD, Vanderbilt, ratings scale, teacher, parent, children


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. e041214
Author(s):  
Kevin Glynn ◽  
Frank McKenna ◽  
Kevin Lally ◽  
Muireann O’Donnell ◽  
Sandeep Grover ◽  
...  

ObjectivesTo investigate whether delirium motor subtypes differ in terms of phenomenology and contributory aetiology.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingInternational study incorporating data from Ireland and India across palliative care, old age liaison psychiatry and general adult liaison psychiatry settings.Participants1757 patients diagnosed with delirium using criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth edition (DSM IV).Primary and secondary outcome measuresHyperactive, mixed and hypoactive delirium subtypes were identified using the abbreviated version of the Delirium Motor Subtype Scale. Phenomenology was assessed using the Delirium Rating Scale Revised. Contributory aetiologies were assessed using the Delirium Aetiology Checklist (DEC), with a score >2 indicating that the aetiology was likely or definitely contributory.ResultsHypoactive delirium was associated with dementia, cerebrovascular and systemic infection aetiologies (p<0.001) and had a lower overall burden of delirium symptoms than the other motor subtypes. Hyperactive delirium was associated with younger age, drug withdrawal and the DEC category other systemic aetiologies (p<0.001). Mixed delirium showed the greatest symptom burden and was more often associated with drug intoxication and metabolic disturbance (p<0.001). All three delirium motor subtypes had similar levels of impairment in attention and visuospatial functioning but differed significantly when compared with no subtype (p<0.001).ConclusionsThis study indicates a pattern of aetiology and symptomatology of delirium motor subtypes across a large international sample that had previously been lacking. It serves to improve our understanding of this complex condition and has implications in terms of early detection and management of delirium.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 215013272110251
Author(s):  
Álvaro Monterrosa-Castro ◽  
Angélica Monterrosa-Blanco ◽  
Andrea González-Sequeda

Background: Quarantine is a measure to control COVID-19 spread, resulting in an increased perception of loneliness. In turn, sleep disorders (SD) may be more frequently reported in uncertain circumstances. Objectives: To identify the association between loneliness and severe SD, in women quarantined due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional study carried out in women, between 40 and 79 years and living in Colombia. The women were invited through social network to complete 5 digital instruments: de Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale, Menopause Rating Scale, Fear of COVID-19 Five-item Version, Coronavirus Anxiety Scale, and Francis Religion Scale. Bivariate analysis and adjusted logistic regression between loneliness and SD were performed. Results: 1133 women participated, half of them under 50 years old. 43.1% had emotional loneliness, 39.9% social loneliness and 43.3% general loneliness. SD were identified in 6 out of 10 women, those with mild SD presented an OR of 1.84, 1.85, and 1.64, for emotional, social and general loneliness, respectively. Loneliness was associated twice with moderate SD, and more than twice with severe SD. Very severe SD reached OR:5.81 for emotional loneliness, OR:4.38 social loneliness and OR:4.02 general loneliness. In the presence of religiosity, fear and anxiety due to COVID-19, statistical significance was retained for associations, except intense SD with general loneliness. Conclusions: SD were significantly associated with loneliness in our study population. It is important to assess sleep quality and perception of loneliness in middle-aged women, especially during periods of quarantine due to a pandemic to avoid health implications.


2021 ◽  
pp. 030089162199043
Author(s):  
Silvia Gonella ◽  
Dino S. Di Massimo ◽  
Marinella Mistrangelo ◽  
Gianmauro Numico ◽  
Paola Berchialla ◽  
...  

Introduction: Chemotherapy-induced nausea, vomiting, and retching (CINVR) remains a common side effect of treatment. Most previous studies have focused on vomiting control; nausea and retching have been less explored. This study aimed at describing the incidence, severity, and impact on daily life (IDL) of CINVR in the acute (0–24 hours), delayed (>24–120 hours), and overall (0–120 hours) postchemotherapy periods and beyond 120 hours (until next chemotherapy administration); and the pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic strategies adopted by patients to relieve symptoms. Methods: This was a single-center, cross-sectional study of 60 patients undergoing chemotherapy. Participants reported the frequency, severity, and IDL of CINVR from the day of chemotherapy administration up to 120 hours thereafter and nausea and vomiting that occurred beyond 120 hours, as well as pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic remedies used. Results: Forty-seven (78.3%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 66.4–86.9), 37 (61.7%, 95% CI 49.0–72.9), and 35 (58.3%, 95% CI 45.7–69.9) patients reported no nausea (Numeric Rating Scale ⩽1), vomiting, or retching in the acute, delayed, and overall periods, respectively. Nausea was more frequent, more severe, and had a greater IDL than did vomiting and retching across the overall observation period; beyond 120 hours, 11 (18.3%, 95% CI 10.6–29.9) patients reported nausea and none reported vomiting, with a median IDL of 1/10 (interquartile range: 0.75–5.00; 95% CI 0–7.6). Metoclopramide (n = 57 administrations), dexamethasone (n = 28), eating small servings of food (n = 13), and aloe (n = 11) were the most commonly used rescue therapies. Conclusions: Future studies should set hard outcomes, such as the absence of any symptoms, as a primary end point, and these should be assessed across and beyond the 120-hour period.


2021 ◽  
pp. 174702182110267
Author(s):  
Roberto Filippi ◽  
Andrea Ceccolini ◽  
Peter Bright

The development of verbal fluency is associated with the maturation of executive function skills, such as the ability to inhibit irrelevant information, shift between tasks and hold information in working memory. Some evidence suggests that multilinguistic upbringing may underpin disadvantages in verbal fluency and lexical retrieval, but can also afford executive function advantages beyond the language system including possible beneficial effects in older age. This study examined the relationship between verbal fluency and executive function in 324 individuals across the lifespan by assessing the developmental trajectories of English monolingual and multilingual children aged 7 to 15 years (N=154) and adults from 18 to 80 years old (N=170). The childhood data indicated patterns of improvement in verbal fluency and executive function skills as a function of age. Multilingual and monolingual children had comparable developmental trajectories in all linguistic and non-linguistic measures used in the study with the exception of planning, for which monolingual children showed a steeper improvement over the studied age range relative to multilingual children. For adults, monolinguals and multilingual participants had comparable performance on all measures with the exception of non-verbal inhibitory control and response times on the Tower of London task: monolinguals showed a steeper decline associated with age. Exploratory factor analysis indicated that verbal fluency was associated with working memory and fluid intelligence in monolingual participants but not in multilinguals. These findings raise the possibility that early acquisition of an additional language may impact on the development of the functional architecture serving high-level human cognition.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 200-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ava Yun Lin ◽  
Maggie Clapp ◽  
Elizabeth Karanja ◽  
Kevin Dooley ◽  
Conrad C. Weihl ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 81 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 205-208
Author(s):  
Monica F. Ataide ◽  
Carolina da Cunha-Correia ◽  
Katia C.L. Petribú

Background: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is characterized for an uncomfortable sensation in legs and an irresistible desire to move them. This disorder has been more recently recognized in patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) and can interfere with the quality of life (QOL). Objectives: The aims of this study are to describe the prevalence of RLS and its severity and influence on the QOL in patients with MG. Method: This was a cross-sectional study conducted from May to June 2016 in Recife, Brazil. A sample of 42 patients was interviewed using a sociodemographic questionnaire, MG QOL questionnaire-15 and The RLS Rating Scale. Results: RLS was present in 47.6% of patients and of these 40.5% met moderate to severe RLS criteria. Patients were 45 years on average (SD ± 14.4) and women represented 57.1% of the study population. Among patients with RSL, the quality-of-life scores were worse (p = 0.010) on average. There was no association of RLS with the duration of MG, use of immunosuppressant or clinical conditions that could mimic the occurrence of RLS. Conclusion: RLS is a prevalent condition in patients with MG, and may be severe enough to negatively impact QOL.


2001 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 354-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Moritz ◽  
B. Andresen ◽  
D. Jacobsen ◽  
K. Mersmann ◽  
U. Wilke ◽  
...  

SummaryThere is widespread evidence that schizophrenic symptomatology is best represented by three syndromes (positive, negative, disorganized). Both the disorganized and negative syndrome have been found to correlate with several neurocognitive dysfunctions. However, previous studies investigated samples predominantly treated with typical neuroleptics, which frequently induce parkinsonian symptoms that are hard to disentangle from primary negative symptoms and may have inflated correlations with neurocognition. A newly developed psychopathological instrument called the Positive and Negative and Disorganized Symptoms Scale (PANADSS) was evaluated in 60 schizophrenic patients. Forty-seven participants treated with atypical neuroleptics performed several neurocognitive tasks.A three-factor solution of schizophrenic symptomatology emerged. Negative symptomatology was associated with diminished creative verbal fluency and digit span backward, whereas disorganization was significantly correlated with impaired Stroop, WCST and Trail-Making Test B performance.Data suggest that disorganization is associated with tasks that demand executive functioning. Previous findings reporting correlations between negative symptomatology and neurocognition may have been confounded by the adverse consequences of typical neuroleptics.


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