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Background: Picture-naming tests (PNTs) evaluate linguistic impairment in dementia due to semantic memory impairment, impaired lexical retrieval or perceptual deficits. They also assess the decline in naming impairment at various stages of dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) that occurs due to progressive cognitive impairment. With the increasing numbers of people with dementia globally, it is necessary to have validated naming tests and norms that are culturally and linguistically appropriate. Aims: In this cross-sectional study we harmonized a set of 30 images applicable to the Indian context across five languages and investigated the picture-naming performance in patients with MCI and dementia. Methods & Procedures: A multidisciplinary expert group formed by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) collaborated towards developing and adapting a picture naming test (PNT) known as the ICMR-PNT in five Indian languages: Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. Based on cross-cultural adaptation guidelines and item-wise factor analysis and correlations established separately across five languages, the final version of the ICMR-PNT test was developed. A total of 368 controls, 123 dementia and 128 MCI patients were recruited for the study. Psychometric properties of the adapted version of the ICMR-PNT were examined, and sensitivity and specificity were examined. Outcomes & Results The ICMR-PNT scores in all languages combined were higher in controls compared with patients with dementia and MCI (F[subscript 2], [subscript 615] = 139.85; p < 0.001). Furthermore, PNT scores for MCI was higher in comparison with patients with dementia in all languages combined (p < 0.001). The area under the curve across the five languages ranged from 0.81 to 1.00 for detecting dementia. There was a negative correlation between Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) and ICMR-PNT scores and a positive correlation between Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination--III (ACE-III) and ICMR-PNT scores in control and patient groups. Conclusions & Implications: The ICMR-PNT was developed by following cross-cultural adaptation guidelines and establishing correlations using item-wise factor analysis across five languages. This adapted PNT was found to be a reliable tool when assessing naming abilities effectively in mild to moderate dementia in a linguistically diverse context.

There are very few acoustic studies reflecting on the localization of speech function within the different loci of the cerebellum. Task based performance profile of subjects with lesion in different cerebellar loci is not reported. Also, the findings on nonfocal cerebellar lesions cannot be generalized to lesions restricted to the cerebellum. Hence, this study was undertaken to reflect upon the differential performance if any of subjects with lesions in different cerebellar loci based on phonatory and diadochokinetic (DDK) tasks. The aims and objectives of this study were to see the pattern of phonatory and DDK measures in dysarthria due to lesions in different cerebellar loci. The study aimed to see if there is a task based localization of speech within the cerebellum. Findings and implications of this study are discussed. (Contains 4 tables and 8 graphs.)

Cerebellum plays an important role in speech motor control. Various tasks like sustained phonation, diadochokinesis and conversation have been used to tap the speech timing abilities of dysarthric clients with cerebellar lesion. It has recently been proposed that not all areas of the cerebellum may be involved in speech motor control; especially aspects concerned with timing of speech events. In the present study, the timing of articulatory movements in three clients with lesions restricted to different cerebellar loci was investigated. A relational speech timing paradigm was used to investigate initial syllable vowel duration (ISVD) in these three clients. The findings were compared with 15 age and gender matched controls. The results suggest that subjects with cerebellar right hemispheric cerebellar lesion showed reduced preservation of relational timing measures as compared to cerebellar vermis lesion i.e. midline structures and cerebellar left cerebellar hemispheric lesion, thus indirectly suggesting a differential loci specific control in cerebellum for relational speech timing.