Clustering and switching strategies during phonemic and semantic verbal fluency tasks as defined by Troyer et al. (1997), Abwender et al. (2001), and Lanting et al. (2009) were compared using archival data to determine which scoring procedures best differentiate healthy older adults (n = 26) from individuals with early-stage Alzheimer's disease (AD, n = 26). Total word production showed the largest group difference, especially for semantic fluency. The AD group produced fewer switches when compared to the healthy control group, whereas the groups did not differ in cluster size. The AD group also accessed fewer novel semantic subcategories, presumably due to reduced access to semantic memory storage rather than lower processing speed. Clustering and switching scores on the phonemic task did not add information above total words produced, consistent with previous research indicating these variables are most informative in relation to semantic fluency.

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This study investigated the effects of endocrine therapy (i.e., tamoxifen and anastrozole) on cognitive functioning by comparing 28 postmenopausal women with breast cancer to 37 healthy age-equivalent controls. Participants completed neuropsychological tests previously shown to be estrogen sensitive (e.g., verbal memory, letter fluency). A significant treatment effect was observed on speeded measures of letter fluency, complex visuomotor attention, and manual dexterity, but not on measures of verbal or object-location memory, or on tests presumed to be estrogen insensitive (e.g., spatial ability). In partial support of previous research, these results indicate that endocrine therapy can have detrimental effects on speeded higher brain functions but not necessarily on memory.

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