Language functions in patients with multiple sclerosis

Few studies have demonstrated language impairment in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) compared to healthy controls. The purpose of this investiga tion was to examine language functions, specifically naming, comprehension, and verbal fluency, in patients with MS and healthy controls to (1) determ ine if patients with MS demonstrate language impairment, and (2) provide cl arification of MS-related language disturbance, particularly in patients wi th MS of differing courses. Results showed that both chronic-progressive an d relapsing-remitting patients with MS performed significantly more poorly than controls on naming, aural comprehension, letter fluency, and category fluency, as well as other language-based cognitive measures. Chronic-progre ssive patients obtained significantly lower scores than relapsing-remitting patients on the latter three tests. The language disturbance in this MS sa mple may be partly explained by impairment in other verbal cognitive functi ons. These findings highlight the importance of assessing language abilitie s in patients with MS.