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Comprehension of affective prosody in multiple sclerosis

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, PO Box 26901, Oklahoma City OK 73190, USA, Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Disorders, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA, william-beatty{at}ouhsc.edu

Diana M Orbelo

Departments of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, PO Box 26901, Oklahoma City OK 73190, USA, Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Disorders, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA

Kristen H Sorocco

Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Disorders, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA

Elliott D Ross

Neurology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, PO Box 26901, Oklahoma City OK 73190, USA, Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Disorders, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA

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 A prosodia 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.

Key Words: affect comprehension • demyelinating disease • emotion • multiple sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis, Vol. 9, No. 2, 148-153 (2003)
DOI: 10.1191/1352458503ms897oa


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