Naming as a window to word retrieval changes in healthy and pathological ageing: Methodological considerations

Abstract

Background: Word retrieval skills change across the lifespan. Permanent alterations in the form of decreased accuracy or increased response time can be a consequence of both normal ageing processes or the presence of acquired and neurodegenerative disorders (e.g., aphasia and dementia). Despite the extensive literature exploring the neuroanatomical underpinnings of word retrieval, psycholinguistic, biolinguistic and theoretical explanations, and the vast amount of evidence from primary and secondary language disorders, the best approach to consistently capture these changes is yet to be discovered. Aims: The goal of this paper is to determine which method(s) stand(s) as the most suitable candidate(s) to provide an accurate picture of word retrieval in the oral production of different groups of adult speakers, including cases of healthy ageing, preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), aphasia and dementia. Methods & Procedures: Using an integrative review of recent peer-reviewed journal articles, we provide an overview of the different behavioural methods traditionally used to measure oral naming skills in research-oriented and clinical protocols and discuss their main advantages and limitations. Main Contribution:Most existing studies are based on the results of people with diagnosed language disorders. Despite the growing interest, the reliability of the majority of the tasks to detect subtle changes associated with healthy ageing, MCI and preclinical AD are yet to be demonstrated, and the delicate balance between informativeness and efficiency (especially in terms of administration time and variable control) in experimental protocols is yet to be achieved. In this article we propose the pursuit of an integrative overarching methodology to characterize all naming deficits (from anecdotal to permanent) and all adult populations (from healthy to pathological ageing). Conclusions & Implications:A combination of spontaneous speech data and results from structured tasks stands as the best approach to capture changes in This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

Picture naming test through the prism of cognitive neuroscience and linguistics: adapting the test for cerebellar tumor survivors—or pouring new wine in old sacks?

“…Given the importance of preclinical diagnostics in senior populations, the suitability of confrontation naming in this field was questioned in ( Fleming and Harris, 2008 ). In the senior cohorts a combination of word retrieval measures, such as a PNT and a (semi-) spontaneous speech sample or fluency task, could be considered more viable ( Martínez-Ferreiro, 2024 ).…”

“…Given the importance of preclinical diagnostics in senior populations, the suitability of confrontation naming in this field was questioned in (Fleming and Harris, 2008). In the senior cohorts a combination of word retrieval measures, such as a PNT and a (semi-) spontaneous speech sample or fluency task, could be considered more viable (Martínez-Ferreiro, 2024). Finally, the examiner's proficiency in the language of testing should not be dismissted: otherwise, assessment errors and, in clinical populations, misdiagnosis might occur (Echemendia, 2005).…”

Bridging the Gap: Association between Objective and Subjective Outcomes of Communication Performance in People with Parkinson's Disease Evaluated for Deep Brain Stimulation

“…11,12 Confrontation naming tasks, on the other hand, are considered a more direct measure of language ability. 13,14 However, to what extent verbal fluency and naming tasks are related to a patient's perceived ability to communicate before DBS is not established.…”

“…Verbal fluency tasks rely on multiple cognitive domains including, executive function and language, and are frequently referenced as a cognitive outcome of DBS 11,12 . Confrontation naming tasks, on the other hand, are considered a more direct measure of language ability 13,14 . However, to what extent verbal fluency and naming tasks are related to a patient's perceived ability to communicate before DBS is not established.…”