Articulatory impairment associated with tardive dyskinesia

Article Abstract:

Tardive dyskinesia (TD) involves impairment in voluntary body movement, and results in fragmentary or incomplete, jerky movements. It is a condition that usually occurs in the elderly, but is often found among psychiatric patients of all ages, because it can also be induced by the long-term administration of neuroleptic (antipsychotic) drugs. In order to evaluate the specific effects of TD on speech, the speech patterns of two patients with TD were compared with those of a patient without TD who had been treated with neuroleptics for a long time. A structured interview was conducted, and three forms of speech were recorded for each patient: repeated sentences; reading of a short text; and spontaneous conversation. Without knowing which patients had TD, a linguist transcribed and phonetically analyzed all three forms of speech for each patient. All deviations and inconsistencies were noted. Only the TD patients demonstrated abnormal phonemes (speech sounds). Differences in speech sounds found between the TD patients and the non-TD patient were not related to age, direct drug effects or drug exposure time. The abnormal phonemes were all consonants: TD patients did not have any difficulty pronouncing vowels. No other differences were found between patients in the repetition, reading or spontaneous conversation tasks. The authors conclude that TD has an adverse effect on articulation, which may contribute to the poor communication and social skills often seen in chronic psychiatric patients. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Psychotropic drugs, Articulation disorders, Tardive dyskinesia, Drug-induced dyskinesia

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Intellectual impairment and cognitive evoked potentials in myotonic dystrophy

Article Abstract:

Myotonic dystrophy (MD) is one of the diseases known as the muscular dystrophies, in which the muscles degenerate and waste away. MD is inherited, and affects many systems in the body including the nervous system. Testing of patients using the electroencephalogram (EEG) has demonstrated that MD affects the brain. Although patients with MD have been described as mentally retarded, little research has been conducted to objectively evaluate cognitive (intellectual) function in MD patients. In this study, 27 patients with MD underwent cognitive testing; they were being followed as part of an ongoing study of 51 affected families in the region around Veneto, Italy. A control group of 20 normal individuals with similar sociodemographic characteristics was also tested. The scores of the MD patients were significantly lower than those of the controls, as measured on the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. These and other tests of neuropsychological and electrophysiological functions indicate that over half the individuals with myotonic dystrophy have significantly impaired cognitive functioning. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Diagnosis, Neuromuscular diseases, Myotonic dystrophy

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Hospitalization and the cognitive deficits of schizophrenia: the influences of age and education

Article Abstract:

The relationship between long-term hospitalization and deterioration of cognitive abilities in schizophrenics is unclear. There is research evidence to support the contention that long-term hospitalization contributes to cognitive deterioration in this population and other populations. Other studies suggest that cognitive abilities are determined by the disease itself. Data from a sample of 245 male schizophrenic inpatients were analyzed with respect to age, education, length of hospitalization, and various neurological measures of cognition in order to statistically control for the effects of these variables. After isolating the effects of these factors, the data showed that there is no strong relationship between length of hospitalization and a decline in cognitive abilities in male schizophrenic patients. It is suggested that the decline in cognitive abilities seen in hospitalized schizophrenics is due simply to aging of the patient. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Care and treatment, Demographic aspects, Hospitalization, Schizophrenia

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