Non-verbal Intelligence in Unilateral Perinatal Stroke Patients With and Without Epilepsies

Background: The risk factors for impaired cognitive development after unilateral perinatal stroke are poorly understood. Non-verbal intelligence seems to be at particular risk, since language can shift to the right hemisphere and may thereby reduce the capacity of the right hemisphere for its originary functions. Pharmaco-refractory epilepsies, a frequent complication of perinatal strokes, often lead to impaired intelligence. Yet, the role of well-controlled epilepsies is less well-understood. Here, we investigated whether well-controlled epilepsies, motor impairment, lesion size, lesion side, and lateralization of language functions influence non-verbal functions.Methods: We recruited 8 patients with well-controlled epilepsies (9–26 years), 15 patients without epilepsies (8–23 years), and 23 healthy controls (8–27 years). All underwent the Test of Non-verbal Intelligence, a motor-independent test, which excludes biased results due to motor impairment. Language lateralization was determined with functional MRI, lesion size with MRI-based volumetry, and hand motor impairment with the Jebson-Taylor Hand Function-Test.Results: Patients with epilepsies showed significantly impaired non-verbal intelligence [Md = 89.5, interquartile range (IQR) = 13.5] compared with controls (Md = 103, IQR = 17). In contrast, patients without epilepsies (Md = 97, IQR = 15.0) performed within the range of typically developing children. A multiple regression analysis revealed only epilepsy as a significant risk factor for impaired non-verbal functions.Conclusion: In patients with unilateral perinatal strokes without epilepsies, the neuroplastic potential of one healthy hemisphere is able to support the development of normal non-verbal cognitive abilities, regardless of lesion size, lesion side, or language lateralization. In contrast, epilepsy substantially reduces this neuroplastic potential; even seizure-free patients exhibit below-average non-verbal cognitive functions.

Peculiarities of the genre of wordless novel in Europe and the United States on the example of works of Frans Masereel and Lynd Ward

The object of this research is the wordless novel – a genre at the confluence of literature and fine art that appeared in Europe in the late 1910s. Most of the time, the author of the narrative in wordless novel is the artist himself, and the compositions has no verbally foundation. Verbal function is performed by a visual component. The visual component is  illustrative, but independent and performs verbal functions. Frans Masereel – the founder of the genre and originator of the term, and Lynd Ward – the artist who contributed to proliferation of the genre in the United States, are two most prominent figures with in the genre of wordless novel. For other artists it was more of an experiment, therefore namely the works of Masereel and Ward were selected for this analysis. The main conclusions are associated with the peculiarities of literary language of wordless novels, the specificity of which is substantiated by the need to solve the tasks of the opposite in its essence verbal language, without having any suitable tools. Images in the wordless novels are narrative, and exist to the fullest only within the framework of the series. Moreover, these images are processed through experience of the text. Although the very idea of the genre consists in carrying out narrative without using words, it does not distort the verbal component. It is rather being transformed, shifting to inner layers of the image, and acquiring an implicit character. The article analyzes the key visual tools used by the artists in creation of wordless novels.

The participle as a component of the verbal system in Biblical Hebrew

In Biblical Hebrew, the active participle has, as may be expected, a number of nominal and adjectival functions. However, it also, in certain contexts, exerts a verbal meaning. In the latter function, the participle is part of the verbal paradigm, expressing a range of nuances some of which—notably the expression of the “real present”—cannot be expressed by any other verbal form. The main verbal functions of the participle are exemplified in the paper. Also a diachronic trajectory of syntactic change is described leading from the “classical” Biblical Hebrew of the monarchic period (tenth to seventh centuries BCE) to early post-biblical Hebrew (first century BCE).

Psychological and Pedagogical Conditions of Intellectual Development in Preschoolers with Severe Speech Disorders

The research featured peculiarities of the intellectual development of children with severe speech disorders. A set of experiments showed that such children have systemic underdevelopment of verbal and non-verbal functions. The empirical part of the research was based on two methods: a color version of Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices Test and Wechsler’s Pre-School & Primary Scale of Intelligence in M. N. Ilyina’s adaptation. The data were analyzed with the help of statistical methods. The article focuses on the system of psychological and pedagogical conditions of the intellectual development of preschoolers in the conditions of preschool educational organizations. The authors consider the sensory education as the basis of intellectual development aimed primarily at the development of feelings and perceptions. The content of the intellectual education includes speech development, development of elementary mathematical concepts, and productive activities (construction, modeling, drawing, application), which are considered as significant aspects of intellectual education. The authors compiled, tested, and evaluated a program of intellectual development of senior preschool children with severe speech disorders. The program was based on didactic games.

ANALYSIS OF THE STRUCTURE AND DYNAMICS OF VERBAL FUNCTIONS FOR THE FIRST YEAR AFTER ISCHEMIC STROKE

The results of psycho-correction speech therapy are analyzed in dynamics in 78 patients with varying severity and various forms of speech disorders in the early and late recovery periods of ischemic stroke. The effectiveness of conducting classes during the stay of patients in a neurological hospital and the positive impact of these exercises in the inpatient period (outpatient classes, classes at home with a speech therapist and trained relatives) are shown. Patients who did not conduct speech recovery classes during the inter-stationary period showed a decrease in speech activity, in some even a negative dynamic.

ANALYSIS OF THE STRUCTURE AND DYNAMICS OF VERBAL FUNCTIONS FOR THE FIRST YEAR AFTER ISCHEMIC STROKE

The results of psycho-correction speech therapy are analyzed in dynamics in 78 patients with varying severity and various forms of speech disorders in the early and late recovery periods of ischemic stroke. The effectiveness of conducting classes during the stay of patients in a neurological hospital and the positive impact of these exercises in the inpatient period (outpatient classes, classes at home with a speech therapist and trained relatives) are shown. Patients who did not conduct speech recovery classes during the inter-stationary period showed a decrease in speech activity, in some even a negative dynamic.

Is there a specific Vivaldi effect on verbal memory functions? Evidence from listening to music in younger and older adults

Brief exposure to music has been reported to lead to transient improvement of cognitive functions in no-music domains. Regarding the possible roles of working memory, processing of acoustic regularities, arousal and emotions in mediating the effects of music on subsequent cognition, the present study explored if brief listening to music might produce a subsequent transient change of verbal functions. A large sample ( n = 448) of younger (mean 28 years) and older (mean 72 years) individuals were studied to represent different background abilities. Verbal working memory (WM) and phonologically-cued semantic retrieval were assessed using the forward digit span test (F-DST) and word fluency test (WFT). To account for arousing, emotional and previous expertise effects, F-DST and WFT scores were measured only in non-musicians after listening to novel (unknown) excerpts of three different composers (Mozart, Vivaldi and Glass) and after silence, with individual preference for each condition subjectively rated. It was found that brief exposure to music had no beneficial effect on verbal WM, with even a transient impairment emerging after Vivaldi. In contrast, Vivaldi’s excerpt induced a marked enhancement of word fluency, but only in young adults, whereas listening to Mozart’s composition was followed by decreased WFT scores in the two age groups. These results show that depending on composer- or excerpt-specific music features, listening to music can selectively facilitate or inhibit ongoing verbal functions. It is suggested that these effects are mediated by pro-active priming or interference of residual activations induced by music in working memory loops.

Epistemic Modality in Georgian

The epistemic modality consists of epistemic possibility and necessity. Particle “Unda” (must) is the main formative of the epistemic necessity. Originating from a notional verb, it still retains its verbal functions. In the conjugation of an object, “Unda” is the III person form. It means “wish”, “want”. However, in modern Georgian, it is a multifunctional particle, with the epistemic necessity being one of the meanings thereof. “Unda” is associated with a verb in the subjunctive mood and expresses the speaker’s opinion, evaluation and attitude to the reality, the speaker’s assumption, conviction or the lack thereof. The said modality expresses intellectual perception of the speaker. Sentence1.“ის ახლა სახლში უნდა იყოს” [is axla saxlshi unda ix’os] – He must be at home now. “Unda” (must) expresses the speaker’s certainty ensuing from the analytical assessment of reality. The sentence implies his belief that someone must be at home since it is the most logical possibility based on the fact that lights are on. 2. “მას კარგად უნდა გაეკეთებინა ეს საქმე” [mas k’argad unda gaek’etebina es sakme] – He must have done a good job of it. Here “Unda” implies that as far as I know him, his capabilities and sense of responsibility, I believe that he must have got on with the job well enough. So, the epistemic necessity is expressed by “Unda” modal particle and a verb in the subjunctive mood and implies a logical necessity based on the speaker’s belief. In the determination of the epistemic modality, not only the analysis of the modal particle and a verb matters but the definition of the semantic groups of the verbs involved in the pattern. The paper will contain the functional and semantic analysis of the patterns expressing the aepistemic necessity.