Ana Cláudia C. Vieira

Language, Memory, and Verbal Fluency Changes in Patients with Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: Results of a Preoperative Investigation

OBJECTIVE To detect changes in speech, verbal fluency, and memory in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) caused by ruptured aneurysms and to analyze the results before surgical or embolization procedure. METHODS During the period May 2007 to November 2009, 193 patients with anterior aneurysmal SAH admitted to the Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital da Restauração, Recife, Brazil, were tested for speech, verbal fluency, and memory disturbances after the first week of bleeding and compared with a control group with similar demographics. RESULTS Patients with aneurysmal SAH differed significantly from the control group in language, verbal fluency, and memory functions before clipping or coiling procedures. There were differences in cognitive performance between patients with different aneurysm sites. CONCLUSIONS It was possible to characterize the cognitive impairments of each area affected early on in the preoperative period, confirming the assumptions that the aneurysm site could be a determining factor of cognitive impairment.

Caracterização dos distúrbios cognitivos na Doença de Parkinson

TEMA: comprometimentos cognitivos na doenca de Parkinson. OBJETIVO: ressaltar a existencia do deficit cognitivo na Doenca de Parkinson, descrevendo as caracteristicas dos comprometimentos cognitivos. CONCLUSOES: as alteracoes cognitivas na Doenca de Parkinson (referentes a memoria, linguagem, capacidade visuo-espacial e funcoes executivas) sao constatadas na literatura, no entanto, ha uma carencia de informacoes quanto a reabilitacao fonoaudiologica de pacientes nessa area especifica da linguagem.

Cognitive Changes in Patients with Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Before and Early Posttreatment: Differences Between Surgical and Endovascular

INTRODUCTION The main purpose of occluding a ruptured aneurysm is preventing rebleeding, which may be fatal. Microsurgical or endovascular treatments are the main approaches adopted to prevent new bleeding. Among patients presenting with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, about 50% had permanent injuries. Cognitive changes are one of the main morbidities from that illness. The type of treatment for the aneurysm (clipping or coil embolization) can also contribute to the genesis of those complications. OBJECTIVE Assessing language and verbal memory changes resulting from the aneurysmal lesion occlusion procedures, as well as establish which treatment offers less cognitive sequels. METHOD This investigation was carried out in Hospital da Restauraão, Recife-PE, from May 2007 to November 2009. One hundred fifty-one patients were divided into two groups, surgical and endovascular, and had their language, fluency, and verbal memory functions tested at two time points, pre- and postoperation. The results of the initial assessment and of the one occurring after the treatment were compared, between both groups and to each other. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS One hundred fifty-one patients were assessed, distributed as 122 surgical and 29 coil embolized. The performances in both groups did not differ in the initial assessment. However, endovascular treatment does not show additional cognitive impairment and had a better performance in language and verbal memory, compared with patients submitted to surgical treatment in an early postoperative period.

Afasias e áreas cerebrais: argumentos prós e contras à perspectiva localizacionista

The aim of the present work was to investigate how cortex areas compromised by Cerebral Vascular Accident (CVA) are related to the classification of aphasia, since there are controversies about the location of the lesion in the brain and the characteristics related to variations in speech patterns. Through the Montreal-Toulose protocol, 26 right-handed persons who were affected by left cerebral-vascular lesion and have been showing aphasic symptoms have been evaluated. The Montreal-Toulose protocol, initial standard module - version alpha, includes nomination, repetition, oral comprehension, reading and writing comprehension tests as well as an interview, which allows an evaluation of the discourse fluency. The subjects were allocated into four sub-groups, according to the lesion sites: frontal, temporal, temporo-parietal and parieto-occipital. For the analysis of the data, a Multidimensional Similarity Structure Analysis (SSA) was carried out along with an external variable method. The results show a high positive correlation between the lesion in the brains frontal lobe and difficulties in the discourse fluency as well as a high positive correlation between the lesion in the brains temporal lobe and hindrances in all abilities tested: nomination, repetition, oral comprehension, reading and writing comprehension. It is in accordance with localizational studies, since it highlights the fundamental role of the temporal lobe for the language and the importance of the frontal lobe for the speech praxis. However, in the remaining sub-groups (temporo-parietal and parieto-occipital) there have been positive correlations only between oral comprehension and repetition, with the latter showing correlation only with the second group and presenting a low score. High negative correlations with the discourse fluency were observed. It suggests that this ability has remained preserved in those groups, which in turns weakens the localization argument.

Caracterização das afasias na hemorragia subaracnóidea aneurismática

PURPOSE Characterize the profile of aphasic syndromes determined by aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) of the left middle cerebral artery (LMCA). METHODS An analytical, retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted using a database of cognitive assessments of 193 patients with aSAH admitted to Hospital da Restauração between March 2007 and November 2009. Of these, a total of 26 patients with aSAH in the LMCA territory confirmed by digital angiography were selected. Aphasia was assessed through the Montreal-Toulouse Language Assessment Alpha Version Protocol (Alpha Version) and the CERAD Neuropsychological Test Battery (Verbal fluency). RESULTS Language and verbal fluency impairments were identified in patients with aSAH in the LMCA territory when compared with the control population (50 individuals). Of the 26 patients with aSAH, 11 presented aphasic characteristics preoperatively. CONCLUSION The results of this research corroborate the literature, showing that the aSAH frame causes cognitive impairments even in the preoperative phase for aneurysm occlusion. Considering the observed aspects, the predominant aphasic syndromes characterize comprehension aphasia due to sequels in the posterior cerebral artery territory.