The Relationship between Cognitive Function, Syntax, and Severity of Dysarthria in Persian Patients with Multiple Sclerosis
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Abstract
Introduction: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a degenerative disease affecting the central nervous system. Patients with MS experience difficulties in speech, language, and cognitive abilities. This research aimed to explore the relationship between cognitive functions, syntax, and the severity of dysarthria in Persian patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS), compared to healthy individuals.
Mterials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 31 patients diagnosed with RRMS were compared to 31 healthy adults matched by age, gender, and education. Participants were assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, the syntax comprehension sub-test from the Bilingual Aphasia Test, and the sentence production test. Dysarthria was evaluated through the Frenchay Dysarthria Assessment (FDA-2a), and severity was determined using the visual analog scale by three speech and language pathologists based on recorded speech samples.
Results: Findings showed significant differences between MS patients and the control group (P≤0.05). Dysarthria severity correlated significantly with syntax comprehension (P=0.002, Cohen’s d=0.803), syntax production (P=0.005, Cohen’s d=0.820), and MoCA (P=0.001, Cohen’s d=0.579). Significant correlations were also found between MoCA and syntax comprehension and production within the patient group (P≤0.05). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26. Differences between groups were calculated by an independent t-test, and correlations were analyzed with the Spearman test at a significance level of P≤0.05.
Conclusion: Syntactic challenges in MS patients may be linked to cognitive impairments, and as dysarthria severity increases, syntactic problems escalate. These results can assist speech and language pathologists in clinical evaluations and comprehensive interventions.
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| Issue | Articles in Press | |
| Section | Research Article(s) | |
| Keywords | ||
| Multiple Sclerosis Cognition Syntax Dysarthria Persian language | ||
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