Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a progressive chronic disease of the Central Nervous System (CNS). Cognitive decline occurs rather rarely in relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) compared to other types. The present study aimed to assess executive functions (EF) in relation to clinical and demographic variables in patients with RRMS. The study involved 22 individuals with RRMS (aged 23 to 49 years) and 22 matching controls. All the individuals with RRMS were in the remission phase. The assessments were carried out using MoCA, BDI-II, Halstead Category Test, Porteus Maze Test, verbal fluency tasks and Stroop Colour-Word Interference Test. The findings show that the two groups differed significantly in all the tests. All patients with RRMS in the remission phase presented at least one cognitive deficit, observed in general cognitive functioning, abstract reasoning or other executive functions, i.e., fluency, interference suppression, planning, or ability to modify activity in response to feedback. The deficits in most cases (except for those measured with the MoCA, Category Tests and phonemic fluency), are not related to intensity of depression and duration of the disease. Findings suggest that the diagnostic process in the case of patients with RRMS may include psychological assessment focusing on potentially existing cognitive, mainly executive, deficits and their severity.

Introduction: The aim of the study was to illustrate the difference in how multiple myeloma and its treatment affect the cognitive functioning of both older and younger patients. Material and methods: The study involved the use of selected neuropsychological methods, i.e., experimental trials based on the Battery of Tests for Assessing Cognitive Functions PU1 and the Choynowski’s Memory Scale. Results: The interaction of health status and age appeared to be a differentiating factor between subjects under and over 65 years of age. Younger people with multiple myeloma displayed poorer performance in direct auditory memory compared to subjects of the same age without a cancer diagnosis. Similarly, regarding long-term verbal memory, patients in middle adulthood showed inferior performance in verbal memory as compared to those without multiple myeloma. Phonemic and semantic verbal fluency levels were also lower across some indicators in younger patients compared to older people with plasma cell myeloma. Better task performance by younger patients subjects with cancer was only noticeable in terms of short-term visual memory. Discussion and conclusions: Decreased cognitive functioning in the middle adulthood group was associated with a worse disease course. Although the disease progresses rapidly and is detected at an advanced stage, but this does not translate negatively into patient survival, which results from a good response to treatment, mainly bone marrow transplantation. The younger age group is also subjected to more aggressive forms of treatment, known as high-dose chemotherapy, which may be associated with their poorer condition and diminished mental and physical condition.

W Polsce istnieje dobrze zorganizowany system pomocy terapeutycznej dla uczniów z dysortografią rozwojową. Celem badań była analiza sposobów korzystania przez dzieci i młodzież z dysortografią z oferty terapeutycznej i innych dostępnych form pomocy. Przeprowadzono badanie ankietowe drogą internetową. Uczestnikami badania byli zarówno rodzice jak i dzieci i młodzież z zaburzeniami w pisaniu. Na podstawie uzyskanych wyników wnioskuje się, że niemal każdy uczeń jest objęty jakąś formą pomocy terapeutycznej. Uczniowie korzystają z terapii instytucjonalnej zwykle tylko raz na tydzień, natomiast domowe ćwiczenia wykonują dwa–trzy razy w tygodniu. Rodzice i dzieci oceniają stosowane metody terapii jako średnio lub/i raczej skuteczne. 82% osób z dysortografią ocenia swoją systematyczność w pracy nad problemem jako bardzo niską, niską i przeciętną. Wskazane jest poszerzanie oferty pomocy terapeutycznych dla uczniów z zaburzeniami w pisaniu.

The study investigates the relation between developmental dyslexia, IQ and complex motor skills involving some cognitive and executive functions. The mechanisms underlying the co-existence of disabilities related to reading and writing on the one hand and motor skills on the other hand, still need to be clarified. In the current study it was hypothesised that the level of intelligence may contribute to complex motor skills in dyslexia. The study involved 58 students with developmental dyslexia (age 9.08 yrs; SD = .06) and 50 students constituting a control group (age 9.09 yrs; SD = .06). The measurements were performed using WISC-R, two subtests from the Dyslexia 3 Test, and four complex motor tasks. Children with dyslexia present problems in complex motor tasks, which involved learning of movement sequences and mental rotation. This finding may support the cerebellar deficit hypothesis in dyslexia. Complex motor skills are significantly related to children’s intelligence level or to the interaction of intelligence and dyslexia. Child’s intelligence explains from 7.5% to 35% of the variance in complex motor skills.