Background and Purpose Semantic verbal fluency test is a neuropsychological assessment that can sensitively detect neuropathological changes. Considering its multifactorial features tapping various cognitive domains such as semantic memory, executive function, and working memory, it is necessary to examine verbal fluency performance in association with underlying cognitive functions. The objective of the current study was to investigate semantic fluency patterns of people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) based on clustering and switching and their relationship with working memory. Methods Twenty-six individuals with MCI and 23 normal elderly adults participated in this study. A semantic verbal fluency test (animal version) was administered and the performance was analyzed using the following measures: number of correct words, cluster size, and number of switches. Scores of digit forward (DF) and backward span tasks were employed as working memory measures. Results Analyses of variance revealed significant group differences in the numbers of correct words and switches. Multivariate logistic regression and receiver-operating characteristic analyses showed that the number of switches more sensitively distinguished MCI existence than the number of correct words. Stepwise linear regression analysis showed that DF task and age significantly predicted the number of correct words while only the DF task significantly predicted the number of switches. Conclusions Decrement in semantic verbal fluency in MCI seems to be associated with impaired switching abilities. Working memory capacity might serve as the underlying cognitive factor related to decreased verbal fluency in MCI.

Purpose In this study, we sought to identify critical linguistic markers that can differentiate sentence processing of individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) from the sentence processing of normal-aging populations by manipulating sentences' linguistic complexity. We investigated whether passive sentences, as linguistically complex structures, can serve as linguistic markers that can contribute to diagnoses that distinguish MCI from normal aging. Method In total, 52 participants, including 26 adults with amnestic MCI and 26 cognitively unimpaired adults, participated in the study. All participants were native speakers of Korean. We administered the two subsets of active and passive conditions using a sentence–picture paradigm with semantically reversible sentences to both groups. Results A mixed-effects model using PROC NLMIXED demonstrated that the MCI group exhibited differentially greater difficulty in processing passive than active sentences compared to the normal-aging group. A logistic regression fitted with the PROC LOGISTIC model identified the sum of the passive sentences, with age and education effects as the best models to distinguish individuals with MCI from the normal-aging group. Conclusion Sentence comprehension deficits emerged in the MCI stage when the syntactic complexity was increased. Furthermore, a passive structure was the best predictor for efficiently distinguishing the MCI group from the normal-aging group. These results are clinically and theoretically important, given that linguistic complexity can serve as a critical behavioral marker in the detection of early symptoms associated with linguistic–cognitive decline.

This paper aims to analyze the perception of university students for the extreme heat watch warning and suggest the usefulness of special weather reports. For this, we have made up a descriptive questionnaires including the perception, mass media, usefulness and satisfaction of special weather report. Using the SPSS 17.0 program, descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA and Scheffe test were used to analyze the collected data. The result are as follows; The perception of extreme heat watch warning was some low as 59.1 percentile, we think it needs education and public relations about the extreme heat watch warning. The usefulness of special weather report was 66.6 percentile and of girl students of university that was educated about health care was higher than one of boy students of university, it needs continuous education of these students in order to upgrade satisfaction of special report and mitigate the hazard of extreme heat according to climate change. The main media to get the meteorological information of university undergraduate students were TV and Internet, it needed education and development of new contents. From these findings, suggestions are presented to help improve the extreme heat watch warning.

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The purpose of this study was to delineate the properties of a novel syntactic assessment battery and to present descriptive data on normal elderly individuals. We administered the Syntactic Assessment Battery (hereinafter SAB) using a sentence-picture paradigm to 195 normal elderly adults in three age groups (60–69, 70–79, and 80–90) and five educational levels (No formal education, Elementary School Graduation, Middle School Graduation, High School Graduation, College Graduation and Above). A multiple linear regression model was applied to verify the age and education effects. A summary of results indicated that the SAB effectively detected age and education effects. People generally demonstrated worse performance as they aged but better performance as their educational levels increased. People with high school education and above generally demonstrated stronger performance on the test, although educational effects were not significantly different between elementary and middle school graduation groups. The current novel syntactic assessment battery can serve as a screening measure that sensitively detects age and education effects.

Objectives: Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) have demonstrated word retrieval difficulties. The current study investigated differential deficits in the word retrieval process as a type of the word class (nouns vs. verbs) using generative naming tasks between the MCI and their control groups. Methods: Fifteen individual with MCI and 15 normal controls participated in this study. We administered generative naming tasks of nouns and verbs in both groups. The noun generative naming task consisted of two categories (animate vs. inanimate). Performance on the verb generative naming task was analyzed by the types of verbs. Results: The MCI group produced fewer numbers of nouns and verbs on the generation tasks than their controls. Both groups presented significantly lower performance on verbs than nouns. There was no significant difference depending on the animacy in the noun generative naming task. In contrast, there were significant differences in the subtype analyses of verb between the groups, indicating that individuals with MCI demonstrated significantly lower performance on transitive verbs than their controls, but there was no group difference in intransitive and do-verbs. Conclusion: The verb generative naming task may serve as a sensitive tool to differentiate the MCI group from normal aging populations. Furthermore, the more finite analyses of verbs' subtypes can additionally contribute to identifying differential deficits of word retrieval process for individuals with MCI. Keywords: Mild Cognitive Impairment, Generative naming task, Type of verb, Animacy of noun 2018년 통계청이 실시한 인구 주택 총 조사에 의하면, 우리나라 전체 인구에서 만 65세 이상의 노년 인구는 739만명을 기록하여 전 체 인구의 약 14.8%을 차지하여, 국제 연합(United Nations)이 정한 고령화 사회 기준에 따라, 고령 사회(aged society)에 속한다. 또한 10년 이내에 노년층 비율이 전체 인구의 20%를 초과하여 초고령 사회(post-aged society)에 진입할 것으로 예상된다. 노년층의 인구 가 빠르게 증가하면서 노후에 대한 인식과 태도에도 변화가 일어나 고 있다. Lee (2009)는 중장년층을 대상으로 노후에 대한 설문 조사 실시 결과, 52%가 노후에 대해 걱정을 하고 있으며, 이 중 40.9%는 건강 상실에 대한 두려움을 보고하였다. 이들 중, 10.2%는 치매(dementia)와 같은 인지 장애에 대한 걱정과 불안을 호소하였다. 이러 한 결과를 볼 때, 노화와 함께 발생하는 인지적 문제에 대한 고위험 요소들을 조기에 발견하고 중재하는 것은 매우 중요하다. 최근 들어 노화에 따라 발생할 수 있는 대표적인 인지 장애인 치 매와 더불어 경도인지장애(Mild Cognitive Impairment, MCI)에 대 한 관심이 급증하고 있다. MCI란, 일상 생활이나 사회 생활을 하는

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