ABSTRACT

Background

Multiple sclerosis (MS) commonly includes anomia and other communicative deficits that affect communicative participation and quality of life. Anomia treatment in MS is currently unexplored. Owing to the degenerative nature of MS, compensatory treatment might be preferable to restorative treatment. Semantic feature analysis (SFA) has been reported to have a treatment effect in aphasia and traumatic brain injury, and it can also be used as a compensatory word-finding strategy. SFA might therefore be effective on anomia in MS.

Aims

The aim of this study was to evaluate the treatment effects of SFA on mild anomia in MS. Hypotheses were that, if used as a strategy, SFA may improve word-retrieval ability in connected speech, reduce self-perceived word-finding difficulties and increase communicative participation.

Methods & Procedures

Two participants (one with relapsing-remitting MS, one with progressive MS) experiencing anomia and reduced communicative participation took part in this early-phase study with a single-case experimental design (SCED). Outcome measures included accuracy and speed in confrontation naming of treated items, correct information units (CIUs) in a re-telling task, self-reported strategy use in everyday communication, self-reported occurrence of anomia and related nuisance, and self-reported communicative participation. Measurements were carried out before treatment, at the beginning of every third treatment session, once directly after treatment, repeatedly during a maintenance phase, and once at a follow-up session ten weeks after treatment.

Outcomes & Results

No treatment effects on confrontation-naming ability, re-telling ability or self-reported measures were evident in either participant after treatment with SFA. Effects of repeated measures appeared as reduced response time in confrontation naming.

Conclusions

SFA as the sole element of treatment may not be sufficient to obtain treatment effects on mild anomia in MS. Further research is warranted.

中文翻译：

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语义特征分析对多发性硬化症轻度失读的疗效评价

摘要

背景

多发性硬化症 (MS) 通常包括影响交流参与和生活质量的语言障碍和其他交流缺陷。MS中的失常治疗目前尚未探索。由于 MS 的退行性，代偿性治疗可能优于恢复性治疗。据报道，语义特征分析（SFA）对失语症和创伤性脑损伤有治疗作用，也可以作为一种补偿性的寻词策略。因此，SFA 可能对 MS 的贫血有效。

目标

本研究的目的是评估 SFA 对 MS 轻度贫血的治疗效果。假设是，如果将 SFA 用作一种策略，SFA 可能会提高连接语音中的单词检索能力，减少自我感知的单词查找困难并增加交流参与度。

方法和程序

两名参与者（一名患有复发-缓解型 MS，一名患有进行性 MS）患有贫血症并减少了交流参与，他们采用单病例实验设计 (SCED) 参加了这项早期研究。结果测量包括处理项目对抗命名的准确性和速度、复述任务中的正确信息单元 (CIU)、自我报告在日常交流中的策略使用、自我报告的失读症和相关滋扰的发生以及自我报告的交际参与。测量在治疗前、每三个治疗期开始时、治疗后直接进行一次、在维持阶段重复进行，以及在治疗后十周的随访期进行一次。

结果和结果

在接受 SFA 治疗后，任何一名参与者的对抗命名能力、复述能力或自我报告的措施都没有明显的治疗效果。重复措施的效果表现为对抗命名中的响应时间减少。

结论

SFA 作为治疗的唯一要素可能不足以获得对 MS 轻度异常的治疗效果。有必要进行进一步的研究。