Proper name retrieval in cognitive decline

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia Montemurro ◽  
Sara Mondini ◽  
Massimo Nucci ◽  
Carlo Semenza
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Cognitive Assessment ◽  
Cognitive Reserve ◽  
Proper Names ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Proper Name ◽  
Healthy Participants ◽  
Moca Score ◽  
Naming Test ◽  
Name Retrieval

Abstract This study explores the retrieval of proper names and the sensitivity of this lexical category to the modulatory effect of cognitive reserve in an aging population. Thirty-two elderly patients, undergoing their first neuropsychological evaluation were matched for age and education to thirty-two healthy controls. All participants were administered the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) to measure their global cognitive performance, the Famous Face Naming test to assess proper name retrieval, and the Cognitive Reserve Index (CRI) questionnaire to obtain an index of cognitive reserve. The two groups had comparable CRI total scores, but patients’ performance was worse in both MoCA and Famous Face naming test, compared to healthy controls. Results showed that cognitive reserve predicted global cognitive performance (i.e., MoCA score) in the patients, but not in the healthy participants. Naming proper names was independent from cognitive reserve. This might be due to their lexical nature, which lies in a poor semantic connection between proper names and their bearers.

scholarly journals Proper Names and Common Nouns are differently supported by Cognitive Reserve and Semantic Knowledge in healthy aging

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia Montemurro ◽  
Maria Montefinese ◽  
Martina Serena ◽  
Veronica Pucci ◽  
Sara Mondini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Cognitive Reserve ◽  
Proper Names ◽  
Semantic Knowledge ◽  
Common Noun ◽  
Additive Effects ◽  
Proper Name ◽  
Relevant Component ◽  
Name Retrieval

Cognitive reserve refers to acquired learnings that modulate brain resistance to physiological aging or brain damage. One relevant component of cognitive reserve seems to be the richness of connections in the semantic knowledge. We examined the influence of cognitive reserve and semantic knowledge on proper name and common noun retrieval.Sixty-six elderly participants were administered a questionnaire for cognitive reserve, and tests assessing semantic knowledge and proper name and common noun retrieval. Results showed that proper names were more difficult to retrieve than common nouns. Moreover, cognitive reserve and semantic knowledge were linearly and positively associated with common noun retrieval, with additive effects. In contrast, they interacted with each other in predicting the retrieval of proper names: cognitive reserve had a greater impact on proper name retrieval in older adults with weaker semantic profile, while semantic knowledge assisted proper name retrieval in older adults with scarcer cognitive reserve.

scholarly journals A subtest analysis of The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA): which subtests can best discriminate between healthy controls, mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease?

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 701-701 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliana Francisco Cecato ◽  
José Eduardo Martinelli ◽  
Rafael Izbicki ◽  
Mônica Sanches Yassuda ◽  
Ivan Aprahamian
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Sensitivity And Specificity ◽  
Cognitive Assessment ◽  
Roc Curves ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Good Sensitivity ◽  
Typographical Error ◽  
Present Sample ◽  
Healthy Participants

The authors would like to apologise for a typographical error in the discussion of the above mentioned article.In the discussion on page 830 of the article, paragraph ‘In the present sample, when we tested the accuracy of the MoCA to discriminate between MCI and healthy participants using ROC curves, the best cut-off score was 24 points, with good sensitivity and specificity (92% and 82%, respectively).’Should read:In the present sample, when we tested the accuracy of the MoCA to discriminate between MCI and healthy participants using ROC curves, the best cut-off score was 24 points, with good sensitivity and specificity (83% and 89%, respectively).

DIRECTIONS OF ASSOCIATIVE IDENTIFICATION OF PERSONAL NAMES

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (28) ◽  
pp. 118-128
Author(s):  
Olena Karpenko ◽  
Tetiana Stoianova
Keyword(s):  
Proper Names ◽  
Mental Lexicon ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Sound Symbolism ◽  
Personal Names ◽  
Communicative Process ◽  
Proper Name ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Scientific Value ◽  
The Brain

The article is devoted to the study of personal names from a cognitive point of view. The study is based on the cognitive concept that speech actually exists not in the speech, not in linguistic writings and dictionaries, but in consciousness, in the mental lexicon, in the language of the brain. The conditions for identifying personal names can encompass not only the context, encyclopedias, and reference books, but also the sound form of the word. In the communicative process, during a free associative experiment, which included a name and a recipient’s mental lexicon. The recipient was assigned a task to quickly give some association to the name. The aggregate of a certain number of reactions of different recipients forms the associative field of a proper name. The associative experiment creates the best conditions for identifying the lexeme. The definition of a monosemantic personal name primarily includes the search of what it denotes, while during the process of identifying a polysemantic personal name recipients tend have different reactions. Scientific value is posed by the effect of the choice of letters for the name, sound symbolism, etc. The following belong to the generalized forms of identification: usage of a hyperonym; synonyms and periphrases or simple descriptions; associations denoting the whole (name stimulus) by reference to its part (associatives); cognitive structures such as “stimulus — association” and “whole (stimulus) — part (associative)”; lack of adjacency; mysterious associations. The topicality of the study is determined by its perspective to identify the directions of associative identification of proper names, which is one of the branches of cognitive onomastics. The purpose of the study is to identify, review, and highlight the directions of associative identification of proper names; the object of the research is the names in their entirety and variety; its subject is the existence of names in the mental lexicon, which determines the need for singling out the directions for the associative identification of the personal names.

scholarly journals Moderating Effect of Cognitive Reserve on Brain Integrity and Cognitive Performance

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 285-285
Author(s):  
Monica Nelson ◽  
Ross Andel ◽  
Julie Martinkova ◽  
Kateřina Čechová ◽  
Hana Marková ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Executive Control ◽  
Cognitive Reserve ◽  
Brain Aging ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Hippocampal Volume ◽  
Subjective Cognitive Decline ◽  
Or Education ◽  
Occupational Position ◽  
Using Data

Abstract Dementia is arguably the most devastating condition of older adulthood with treatment options still elusive. Alzheimer’s is the most prevalent form of dementia where cognitive deficits relate strongly to underlying brain pathology. However, there exist cases in which cognitive performance does not match the corresponding level of neuropathology. Attempts to explain this phenomenon often include the concept of cognitive reserve (CR), whereby greater CR (e.g., more education or higher occupational position) presumably results in less impairment relative to the extent of pathology early in disease progression but also greater impairment once cognitive symptoms manifest. We examined the influence of CR proxy variables (education and occupation) on the relationship between hippocampal volume and cognitive performance on tests of executive control and memory using data from the Czech Brain Aging Study (CBAS). Participants were cognitively normal/with subjective cognitive decline but without actual impairment (CN; n=115; M(age)=66.43; M(education)=15.90; 37 men) or had amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI; n=165; M(age)=71.37; M(education)=14.92; 85 men). We found that hippocampal volume was significantly related to executive control (b=-.0001, p=.03) and memory (b=.0002, p<.001) for participants with aMCI, but only memory (b=.0002, p=.03) for CN participants. Occupational position moderated the association between memory and hippocampal volume in aMCI, with the result approaching significance (p=.07), whereby a greater link between memory problems and hippocampal atrophy was present in those previously in high occupational positions. No other moderations for occupational position or education emerged (ps>.25). We found evidence for the concept of CR using occupational position as proxy.

scholarly journals The Brief International Cognitive Assessment in Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS): Validation in Arabic and Lebanese Normative Values

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Hala Darwish ◽  
Pia Zeinoun ◽  
Natali Farran ◽  
Husam Ghusn ◽  
Bassem Yamout ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Cognitive Assessment ◽  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Good Evidence ◽  
Normative Values ◽  
Arabic Version ◽  
Retest Reliability ◽  
Test Retest Reliability ◽  
Healthy Participants

Abstract Objective: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is often associated with cognitive deficits. Accurate evaluation of the MS patients’ cognitive performance is essential for diagnosis and treatment recommendation. The Brief International Cognitive Assessment in Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS), widely used cognitive testing battery, examines processing speed, verbal and visuospatial learning, and memory. Our study aims to examine the psychometric properties of an Arabic version of the BICAMS and to provide normative values in a Lebanese sample. Method: The BICAMS, comprised of the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised (BVMT-R), and a newly developed verbal learning/memory test, the Verbal Memory Arabic Test (VMAT), were administered on healthy subjects and MS patients. The sample consisted of 180 healthy individuals, of whom 63 were retested after 2–3 weeks. Forty-three MS patients matched with 43 healthy subjects based on age, sex, and years of education were assessed. A sample of 10 MS patients was also examined on two occasions. Test–retest reliability and criterion-related validity were examined, and regression-based norms were derived. Results: The test–retest correlations showed good evidence of reliability with coefficients ranging between 0.64 and 0.73 in the healthy sample, and between 0.43 and 0.92 in the MS sample. The BICAMS was able to discriminate between MS patients and matched healthy participants on the SDMT and BVMT-R. Normative data were comparable to other studies. Conclusions: This new Arabic version of the BICAMS shows initial good psychometric properties. While good evidence of VMAT’s reliability was shown in the healthy participants, less test–retest reliability in this tool was seen in the MS group, and partial criterion-related validity was evident. This renders further examination of the VMAT. We provide regression-based norms for a Lebanese sample and encourage the use of this battery in both research and clinical settings.

scholarly journals Remote assessment of verbal memory in MS patients using the California Verbal Learning Test

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 354-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa F Barcellos ◽  
Kalliope H Bellesis ◽  
Ling Shen ◽  
Xiaorong Shao ◽  
Terrence Chinn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Cognitive Assessment ◽  
Verbal Learning ◽  
California Verbal Learning Test ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Factor Analyses ◽  
Assessment Protocol ◽  
Remote Assessment ◽  
Patient Groups ◽  
Learning Test

We used the California Verbal Learning Test, Second Edition (CVLT-II), one component of the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS), to determine feasibility of a remote assessment protocol. We compared telephone-administered CVLT-II data from MS patients to data acquired in person from an independent sample of patients and healthy controls. Mixed factor analyses of variance (ANOVAs) showed no significant differences between patient groups, but between-group effects comparing patients and healthy controls were significant. In this study, CVLT-II assessment by conventional in-person and remote telephone assessment yielded indistinguishable results. The findings indicate that telephone-administered CVLT-II is feasible. Further validation studies are underway.

A-16 MoCA Subtest Analysis: Discriminating between Healthy Controls and MCI

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 1057-1057
Author(s):  
Lauren N Ratcliffe ◽  
Taylor F McDonald ◽  
Craig Marker
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Cognitive Assessment ◽  
Pacific Islander ◽  
Word Recall ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Cognitive Markers ◽  
Attention Tasks ◽  
Asian Pacific Islander ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Asian Pacific

Abstract Objective The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is a suitable, sensitive, and specific cognitive screener for detecting mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Previous research has found markers to discriminate between healthy controls and MCI on MoCA subtest scores. Specifically, MCI performed worse on executive functioning and attention tasks (i.e., inverse digits, serial 7’s, repetition, fluency, abstraction, and word recall). The aim of the present study is to assess for discrimination patterns in MoCA performance between healthy controls and MCI. Method Data was collected through the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC). A sample of healthy controls (n = 3776, 65% female, 80% White, 17% Black, 3% Asian/Pacific Islander) and MCI (n = 1143; 51% female, 82% White, 15% Black, 3% Asian/Pacific Islander) were examined. Results An initial independent t-test revealed a statistically significant difference in MoCA scores for healthy controls (M = 26.18, SD = 2.78) and MCI (M = 22.01, SD = 3.49; t(4917) = 36.91, p = 0.000, Cohen’s d = 1.32). Additional t-tests were performed to compare MoCA subtest scores and domain scores for diagnostic groups. There was a statistically significant difference for healthy controls and MCI groups across all MoCA subtests and domains. Further examination using normal distribution revealed worse performance on cube copy and word recall in MCI groups. Conclusions Consistent with previous findings, word recall was able to discriminate between healthy controls and MCI. However, this study was able to find discrimination in cube copy performance. These findings may guide clinicians to use these interval changes as early cognitive markers for impairment, allowing for early detection and intervention.

Transposing Proper Names in Frank McCourt’s Memoir Angela’s Ashes from English into Maltese

2018 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth Grima
Keyword(s):  
Proper Names ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Source Text ◽  
Common People ◽  
Translation Strategies ◽  
Conventional Meaning ◽  
Cultural Implications ◽  
Proper Name ◽  
Processing Effort

This paper focuses on the transposition from English into Maltese of the various proper names encountered in Frank McCourt’s memoir Angela’s Ashes (Chapter 1). To achieve this aim, an extended practical translation exercise by the author himself is used. Eight different categories of proper names were identified in the source-text ranging from common people names to nicknames, titles and forms of address. Four different categories of cross-cultural transposition of proper names were considered, although only two were actually used. Various translation strategies were adopted ranging from non-translation to modification, depending on whether the particular proper name has a ‘conventional’ meaning or a culturally ‘loaded’ meaning. Although cultural losses were unavoidable, cultural gains were also experienced. Wherever possible, the original proper names were preserved to avoid any change in meaning and interference in their functionality as cultural markers. Moreover, a semantic creative translation was preferred, especially with proper names that were culturally and semantically loaded to reduce the amount of processing effort required by the target-reader and to minimize the cultural losses of relevant contextual and cultural implications in the target-text.

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