title: Comprehension of affective prosody in multiple sclerosis.
abstract: Deficits in cognition have been repeatedly documented in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), but their ability to comprehend emotional information has received little study. Forty-seven patients with MS and 19 demographic controls received the comprehension portion of the Aprosodia Battery, which is known to be sensitive to the impairments of patients with strokes and other neurological conditions. Patients also received tests of hearing, verbal comprehension and naming, a short cognitive battery, and the Beck Depression Inventory. Patients with MS were impaired in identifying emotional states from prosodic cues. The magnitude of the deficits was greatest for patients with severe physical disability and under test conditions of limited prosodic information. Correlational analyses suggested that the patients' difficulties in comprehending affective prosodic information were not secondary to hearing loss, aphasic deficits, cognitive impairment, or depression. For some patients with MS, deficits in comprehending emotional information may contribute to their difficulties in maintaining effective social interactions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, PO Box 26901, Oklahoma City, OK 73190, USA. william-beatty@ouhsc.edu
authors.forename: William W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Beatty
authors.forename: Diana M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Orbelo
authors.forename: Kristen H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Sorocco
authors.forename: Elliott D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Ross
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000328:Adult; D001308:Auditory Perceptual Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D009125:Muscle Relaxants, Central / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013061:Speech Acoustics; D013067:Speech Perception
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D009125:Muscle Relaxants, Central