Graph Analysis of Verbal Fluency Tests in Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder

Brain Sciences

Dominika Dudek¹  Adrian Andrzej Chrobak¹  Marcin Siwek²  Anna Starowicz-Filip³  Anna Julia Krupa⁴  Aleksandra Arciszewska-Leszczuk⁵  Aleksander Turek⁶  Karolina Machalska⁶ 

[1] Department of Adult Psychiatry, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kopernika St. 21a, 31-501 Kraków, Poland;Department of Affective Disorders, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kopernika St. 21a, 31-501 Kraków, Poland;Department of Medical Psychology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Jakubowskiego St. 2, 30-688 Kraków, Poland;Department of Psychiatry, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kopernika St. 21a, 31-501 Kraków, Poland;Faculty of Psychology, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Polna St. 16/20, 81-745 Sopot, Poland;Student’s Scientific Association of Affective Disorders, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kopernika St. 21a, 31-501 Kraków, Poland;

关键词: speech graphs;    semantic network;    cognitive impairments;   

DOI  :  10.3390/brainsci12020166

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Verbal Fluency Tests (VFT) are one of the most common neuropsychological tasks used in bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia (SZ) research. Recently, a new VFT analysis method based on graph theory was developed. Interpreting spoken words as nodes and every temporal connection between consecutive words as edges, researchers created graph structures, allowing the extraction of more data from participants’ speech, called Speech Graph Attributes (SGA). The aim of our study was to compare speech graphs, derived from Phonemic and Semantic VFT, between SZ, BD, and healthy controls (HC). Twenty-nine SZ patients, twenty-nine BD patients, and twenty-nine HC performed Semantic and Phonemic VFT. Standard measures (SM) and 13 SGA were analyzed. SZ patients’ Semantic VFT graphs showed lower total word count and correct responses. Their graphs presented less nodes and edges, higher density, smaller diameter, average shortest path (ASP), and largest strongly connected component than the HC group. SM did not differentiate BD and HC groups, and patients’ Semantic VFT graphs presented smaller diameter and ASP than HC. None of the parameters differentiated BD and SZ patients. Our results encourage the use of speech graph analysis, as it reveals verbal fluency alterations that remained unnoticed in the routine comparisons of groups with the use SM.

【 授权许可】

Unknown