Abstract
Introduction: In the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), examining memory is predominant. Our aim was to analyse the potential role of various cognitive domains in the cognitive evaluation of AD. Methods: 52 individuals with AD underwent neuropsychological evaluation including Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination (ACE). Patients were selected in three groups based on disease duration in years (y) (Group 1: ≤2y n=15; Group 2: 2-4y n=26, Group 3: ≥4y n=11). Covariance weighted intergroup comparison was performed on global cognitive score and subscores of cognitive domains. Spearman’s rho was applied to study the correlation between cognitive subscores and disease duration. Results: Significant difference was found between ACE total scores among groups (χ2=16,03 p<0,001) with a high negative correlation (r= -0,54 p<0,001). With longer disease duration the visuospatial and memory subscores of ACE significantly decreased (χ2=28,36 p<0,001; and f=12,05 p<0,001 respectively). In the early phase of cognitive decline verbal fluency and memory were equally impaired (p>0.05). Visuospatial score showed strong negative correlation with disease duration (r:-0.73).Conclusion: Impairment of verbal fluency seems to have similar diagnostic potential in the early identification of Alzheimer’s disease as memory decline. Visuospatial assessment might be a good marker to monitor the progression of cognitive decline.
Analysis of Verbal Fluency Ability in Alzheimer's Disease: The Role of Clustering, Switching and Semantic Proximities