Performance on a measure of category fluency in cognitively impaired elderly

Abstract

Measures of verbal fluency are widely used in the assessment of cognitive functioning of the elderly. However, limited research has evaluated patterns (across specific timed intervals) of performance on tasks of language fluency in different forms of dementia. The current study investigated semantic fluency in 488 elderly individuals (249 with Alzheimer's dementia, 97 Vascular dementia, 97 Mild Cognitive Impairment and 45 cognitively intact) across 15-second intervals in an animal naming task using retrospective chart review. Normal controls produced significantly more exemplars and AD patients produced fewer animal names than the other groups. After the first 15- second time interval, the demented groups produced significantly fewer exemplars than the non-demented. At the end of 30 seconds it was possible to differentiate normal aging from MCI who no longer differed from the VaD group. Overall, it appears that the greatest and most clinically meaningful differences between the diagnostic groups were detected in the first three 15-second intervals. The present findings support the use of time intervals and total scores on tasks of verbal fluency in clinical settings and for research purposes.

Apolipoprotein E ε4 Modulates Cognitive Profiles, Hippocampal Volume, and Resting-State Functional Connectivity in Alzheimer's Disease

“…The performance of the subsequent time intervals in the verbal fluency was actually more dependent on executive functioning [52]. The results of verbal fluency as a function time in this study were consistent with previous studies [50,[52][53][54]. Memory impairment might underlie the degraded semantic store [50,72] and might explain the poorer semantic memory performance in initiating the fluency task in APOE 4-carriers.…”

“…However, this approach did not provide information about the mechanisms underlying a poor test performance. Several studies suggest the performance of semantic category fluency as a function of time, which might provide additional insights into cognitive processes [50][51][52][53][54]. Thus, we investigated the level of performance in every 15-s phase during a 60s verbal fluency task to see if performance could be different in APOE 4 carriers and non-carriers.…”

Beneficial effects of multisensory and cognitive stimulation on age-related cognitive decline in long-term-care institutions

“…Sugarman et al57 determined the naming test associated with functional magnetic resonance imaging has predictive value for the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and should be used as a presymptomatic biomarker, justifying our choice of using cognitive skill tests involving language functions. Other findings suggest similar sensitivities with tests of SVF, demonstrating that possible changes are relevant for the diagnosis of early cognitive decline and to measure its worsening 60. It has been proposed that the decrease in verbal working memory and reduced reading comprehension are early indicators of aging cognitive decline,61 and that patients in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease exhibit language deficits that are expressed as a reduction in syntactic complexity,62 using the analysis of language elicited from the Cookie Theft concept.…”

Computerized Analysis of Verbal Fluency: Normative Data and the Effects of Repeated Testing, Simulated Malingering, and Traumatic Brain Injury

“…Word production rates declined throughout the test [25], and subjects with increased TDPs showed reduced correct-word scores [91]. Word frequencies were greater and syllable counts were reduced in phonemic conditions compared to semantic conditions [25].…”