scholarly journals An Examination of Semantic Impairment in Amnestic MCI and AD: What Can We Learn From Verbal Fluency?

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-30
Author(s):  
M -J Chasles ◽  
A Tremblay ◽  
F Escudier ◽  
A Lajeunesse ◽  
S Benoit ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Verbal Fluency ◽  
Memory Impairment ◽  
Neuropsychological Test ◽  
Semantic Fluency ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Amnestic Mci ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Subject Factor ◽  
Study Participants

Abstract Introduction The Verbal Fluency Test (VF) is commonly used in neuropsychology. Some studies have demonstrated a marked impairment of semantic VF compared to phonemic VF in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Since amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI) is associated with increased risk of conversion to incident AD, it is relevant to examine whether a similar impairment is observed in this population. The objective of the present empirical study is to compare VF performance of aMCI patients to those of AD and elderly controls matched one-to-one for age and education. Method Ninety-six participants divided into three equal groups (N = 32: AD, aMCI and Controls) were included in this study. Participants in each group were, on average, 76 years of age and had 13 years of education. A repeated measures ANOVA with the Group (AD, aMCI, NC) as between-subject factor and the Fluency condition (“P” and “animals”) as within-subject factor was performed. T-tests and simple ANOVAs were also conducted to examine the interaction. Results There was a significant interaction between the groups and the verbal fluency condition. In AD, significantly fewer words were produced in both conditions. In contrast, participants with aMCI demonstrated a pattern similar to controls in the phonemic condition, but generated significantly fewer words in the semantic condition. Conclusion These results indicate a semantic memory impairment in aMCI revealed by a simple, commonly-used neuropsychological test. Future studies are needed to investigate if semantic fluency deficits can help predict future conversion to AD.

scholarly journals Verbal Fluency Test in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (01) ◽  
pp. 095-099
Author(s):  
Esteban Vaucheret Paz ◽  
Celeste Puga ◽  
Christy Ekonen ◽  
Paula Pintos ◽  
Isabel Lascombes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Executive Functions ◽  
Scale Score ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Disorders ◽  
Verbal Fluency ◽  
Neuropsychological Test ◽  
Semantic Fluency ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Verbal Fluency Test ◽  
Fluency Test

Abstract Background The verbal fluency task is a widely used psychometric test to account for cognitive functions, particularly, verbal and executive functions. Being an easy and fast test to administer, it is a good neuropsychological tool in low technology environments. Our objective was to analyze the performance in verbal fluency of Spanish-speaking children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Methods We performed a retrospective cross-sectional study to analyze the performance of children who had undergone a verbal fluency test in a neuropsychological assessment. Results We included 115 participants. There were 41 (35.65%) participants with low intellectual performance (LIP), 63 (54.78%) with attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), and 11(9.57%) participants with dyslexia. Participants with LIP showed lower phonological and semantic fluency scores than participants with ADHD, and a lower performance in semantic fluency than the dyslexia group. The probability of having LIP was 6.12 times greater when somebody had a scale score lower than 7 in the phonological task and it was 7.9 times greater when the scale score was lower than 7 in the semantic task. Conclusion There was a direct relationship between Full Scale Intelligence Quotient and verbal fluency test performance, the latter being a brief and effective neuropsychological test that can reveal deficit not only in executive functions and verbal abilities but also detect LIP.

scholarly journals A cross-linguistic comparison of category verbal fluency test (ANIMALS): a systematic review

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfredo Ardila
Keyword(s):  
Test Performance ◽  
Verbal Fluency ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Neuropsychological Test ◽  
Cognitive Test ◽  
Semantic Fluency ◽  
Linguistic Information ◽  
Verbal Fluency Test ◽  
European Languages ◽  
Fluency Test

Abstract Background Cross-linguistic information about performance in neuropsychological verbal tests is extremely scarce. It has been suggested that verbal fluency test using animal fluency test is one of the few tests fulfilling the fundamental criteria desirable in a robust neuropsychological test. Objective To compare and establish cross-linguistic information about performance in the animal fluency test. Results In an extensive search, it was found that norms for the semantic fluency test using the category ANIMALS are available in 15 different languages. These languages represent a relatively broad spectrum of world languages, including not only Indo-European languages, but also Semitic, Sino-Tibetan, Austroasiatic, Dravidian, and even Amerindian languages. Normative data in these 15 languages are analyzed and the results are compared. Conclusions It is concluded that (a) pure linguistic factors, such as type of language and word-length, seemingly do not significantly affect the performance in this test; (b) two major demographic variables—age and education—account for a significant percentage of the variance in this test; the effect of sex seems to be neglectable; (c) in bilinguals, when the native language has few speakers and/or is a marginalized language, a very low score can be observed in the native language, even lower than in the second language; (d) there is a frequently overlooked major factor accounting for differences in cognitive test performance: the effort made in performing the test. It depends on the significance given to the test performance. Effort is quite variable across cultures and is higher in psychometric-oriented societies.

scholarly journals Semantic Fluency Deficits and Associated Brain Activity in Parkinson’s Disease Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jihyun Yang ◽  
Katie L McMahon ◽  
David A Copland ◽  
Dana Pourzinal ◽  
Gerard J Byrne ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Verbal Fluency ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Angular Gyrus ◽  
Semantic Fluency ◽  
Compensatory Mechanisms ◽  
Increased Risk

Abstract Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients with poor verbal fluency have an increased risk of developing dementia. This study examines the neural mechanisms underpinning semantic fluency deficits in PD patients with mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) compared to patients without MCI (PD-NC) and healthy controls (HC). Thirty-seven (37) PD patients completed a cognitive assessment battery to identify MCI (13 PD-MCI). Gender- and age-matched 20 HC also participated. Participants were scanned (3T Siemens PRISMA) whilst performing semantic fluency, semantic switching, and automatic speech tasks. The number of responses, error rate, and fMRI data for semantic generation and semantic switching were analyzed. Participants also completed a series of verbal fluency tests outside the scanner, including letter fluency. Patients with PD-MCI performed significantly worse than PD-NC and HC during semantic fluency and semantic switching tasks. Patients with PD-MCI showed greater activity in the right angular gyrus compared to PD-NC and HC during semantic switching. Increased right angular activity correlated with worse verbal fluency performance outside the scanner. Our study showed that PD-MCI patients perform more poorly on semantic fluency than either PD-NC or HC groups. Increased right angular gyrus activity in patients with PD-MCI during semantic switching suggests early compensatory mechanisms predicting the risk of future dementia in PD.

scholarly journals Association of baseline semantic fluency and progression to mild cognitive impairment in middle-aged men

Neurology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 95 (8) ◽  
pp. e973-e983
Author(s):  
Daniel E. Gustavson ◽  
Jeremy A. Elman ◽  
Matthew S. Panizzon ◽  
Carol E. Franz ◽  
Jordan Zuber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Verbal Fluency ◽  
Latent Variable ◽  
Semantic Fluency ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Environmental Correlations ◽  
Cognitively Normal ◽  
Amnestic Mci

ObjectiveTo test the hypothesis that individual differences in episodic memory and verbal fluency in cognitively normal middle-aged adults will predict progression to amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) after 6 years.MethodThe cohort analyzed included 842 male twins who were cognitively normal at baseline (mean 56 years) and completed measures of episodic memory and verbal fluency at baseline and again 6 years later (mean 62 years).ResultsPoor episodic memory predicted progression to both amnestic MCI (odds ratio [OR], 4.42; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.44–10.60) and nonamnestic MCI (OR, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.32–3.44). Poor semantic verbal fluency also independently predicted progression to amnestic MCI (OR, 1.86; 95% CI, 1.12–3.52). In the full sample, a semantic-specific fluency latent variable at wave 1 (which controls for letter fluency) predicted change in episodic memory at wave 2 (β = 0.13), but not vice versa (β = 0.04). Associations between episodic memory and verbal fluency factors were primarily explained by genetic, rather than environmental, correlations.ConclusionsAmong individuals who were cognitively normal at wave 1, episodic memory moderately to strongly predicted progression to MCI at average age 62, emphasizing the fact that there is still meaningful variability even among cognitively normal individuals. Episodic memory, which is typically a primary focus for Alzheimer disease (AD) risk, declined earlier and more quickly than fluency. However, semantic fluency at average age 56 predicted 6-year change in memory as well as progression to amnestic MCI even after accounting for baseline memory performance. These findings emphasize the utility of memory and fluency measures in early identification of AD risk.

Quantitative and Qualitative Impairments in Semantic Fluency, but not Phonetic Fluency, as a Potential Risk Factor for Alzheimer's Disease

2004 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-186
Author(s):  
Brona O'Dowd ◽  
Jonathan Chalk ◽  
Greig de Zubicaray
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Verbal Fluency ◽  
Semantic Fluency ◽  
Amnestic Mci ◽  
Preclinical Ad ◽  
Category Fluency ◽  
Normal Performance ◽  
Fluency Task

AbstractQualitative aspects of verbal fluency may be more useful in discerning the precise cause of any quantitative deficits in phonetic or category fluency, especially in the case of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a possible intermediate stage between normal performance and Alzheimer's disease (AD). The aim of this study was to use both quantitative and qualitative (switches and clusters) methods to compare the phonetic and category verbal fluency performance of elderly adults with no cognitive impairment (n = 51), significant memory impairment (n = 16), and AD (n = 16). As expected, the AD group displayed impairments in all quantitative and qualitative measures of the two fluency tasks relative to their age- and education-matched peers. By contrast, the amnestic MCI group produced fewer animal names on the semantic fluency task than controls and showed normal performance on the phonetic fluency task. The MCI group's inferior category fluency performance was associated with a deficit in their category-switching rate rather than word cluster size. Overall, the results indicate that a semantic measure such as category fluency when used in conjunction with a test of episodic memory may increase the sensitivity for detecting preclinical AD. Future research using external cues and other measures of set shifting capacity may assist in clarifying the origin of the amnestic MCI-specific category-switching deficiency.

Working memory span in mild cognitive impairment. Influence of processing speed and cognitive reserve

2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 615-625 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Facal ◽  
Onésimo Juncos-Rabadán ◽  
Arturo X. Pereiro ◽  
Cristina Lojo-Seoane
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Memory Impairment ◽  
Cognitive Reserve ◽  
Memory Span ◽  
Amnestic Mci ◽  
Span Tasks ◽  
Subject Factor

ABSTRACTBackground:Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) often includes episodic memory impairment, but can also involve other types of cognitive decline. Although previous studies have shown poorer performance of MCI patients in working memory (WM) span tasks, different MCI subgroups were not studied.Methods:In the present exploratory study, 145 participants underwent extensive cognitive evaluation, which included three different WM span tasks, and were classified into the following groups: multiple-domain amnestic MCI (mda-MCI), single-domain amnestic MCI (sda-MCI), and controls. General linear model was conducted by considering the WM span tasks as the within-subject factor; the group (mda-MCI, sda-MCI, and controls) as the inter-subject factor; and processing speed, vocabulary and age as covariates. Multiple linear regression models were also used to test the influence of processing speed, vocabulary, and other cognitive reserve (CR) proxies.Results:Results indicate different levels of impairment of WM, with more severe impairment in mda-MCI patients. The differences were still present when processing resources and CR were controlled.Conclusions:Between-group differences can be understood as a manifestation of the greater severity and widespread memory impairment in mda-MCI patients and may contribute to a better understanding of continuum from normal controls to mda-MCI patients. Processing speed and CR have a limited influence on WM scores, reducing but not removing differences between groups.

scholarly journals Baseline Semantic Fluency Is Associated with Six-Year Progression to Mild Cognitive Impairment in Middle-Aged Men

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel E. Gustavson ◽  
Jeremy A. Elman ◽  
Matthew S. Panizzon ◽  
Carol E. Franz ◽  
Jordan Zuber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Verbal Fluency ◽  
Latent Variable ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Semantic Fluency ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Environmental Correlations ◽  
Cognitively Normal ◽  
Amnestic Mci ◽  
Primary Focus

AbstractObjectiveTest the hypothesis that individual differences in episodic memory and verbal fluency in cognitively normal middle-aged adults will predict progression to amnestic MCI after 6 years.MethodThe analysis sample included 842 male twins who were cognitively normal at baseline (M=56 years), completed measures of episodic memory and verbal fluency at baseline and again 6 years later (M=62 years).ResultsPoor episodic memory predicted progression to both amnestic MCI (OR=4.42, 95% CI [2.44, 10.60]) and non-amnestic MCI (OR=1.92, 95% CI [1.32, 3.44]). Poor semantic verbal fluency also independently predicted progression to amnestic MCI (OR=1.86, 95% CI [1.12, 3.52]). In the full sample, a semantic-specific fluency latent variable at wave 1 (which controls for letter fluency) predicted change in episodic memory at wave 2 (β=.13), but not vice-versa (β=.04). Associations between episodic memory and verbal fluency factors were primarily explained by genetic, rather than environmental, correlations.ConclusionsAmong individuals who were cognitively normal at wave 1, episodic memory moderately-to-strongly predicted progression to MCI at average age 62, emphasizing the fact that there is still meaningful variability even among cognitively normal individuals. Episodic memory, which is typically a primary focus for AD risk, declined earlier and more quickly than fluency. However, semantic fluency at average age 56 predicted 6-year change in memory as well as progression to amnestic MCI even after accounting for baseline memory performance. These findings emphasize the utility of memory and fluency measures in early identification of AD risk.

Cardiovascular Complications in Patients with Klinefelter’s Syndrome

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (43) ◽  
pp. 5556-5563
Author(s):  
Franz Sesti ◽  
Riccardo Pofi ◽  
Carlotta Pozza ◽  
Marianna Minnetti ◽  
Daniele Gianfrilli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Syndrome ◽  
Klinefelter Syndrome ◽  
Subclinical Atherosclerosis ◽  
Cardiovascular Complications ◽  
High Risk Population ◽  
Metabolic Disturbances ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Chromosome Disorder

More than 70 years have passed since the first description of Klinefelter Syndrome (KS), the most frequent chromosome disorder causing male infertility and hypogonadism. KS is associated with increased cardiovascular (CV) mortality due to several comorbidities, including hypogonadism, as well as metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes, which are highly prevalent in these patients. Aside from metabolic disturbances, patients with KS suffer from both acquired and congenital CV abnormalities, cerebrovascular thromboembolic disease, subclinical atherosclerosis and endothelial dysfunction, which may all contribute to increased CV mortality. The mechanisms involved in this increased risk of CV morbidity and mortality are not entirely understood. More research is needed to better characterise the CV manifestations, elucidate the pathophysiological mechanisms and define the contribution of testosterone replacement to restoring CV health in KS patients. This review explores the complex association between KS, metabolic syndrome and CV risk in order to plan future studies and improve strategies to reduce mortality in this high-risk population.

Patients with amnestic MCI Fail to Adapt Executive Control When Repeatedly Tested with Semantic Verbal Fluency Tasks

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Johannes Tröger ◽  
Hali Lindsay ◽  
Mario Mina ◽  
Nicklas Linz ◽  
Stefan Klöppel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Executive Control ◽  
Verbal Fluency ◽  
Fixed Time ◽  
Semantic Space ◽  
Semantic Knowledge ◽  
Semantic Verbal Fluency ◽  
Amnestic Mci ◽  
Retrieval Processes ◽  
Theoretical View ◽  
First Time

Abstract Objective: Semantic verbal fluency (SVF) tasks require individuals to name items from a specified category within a fixed time. An impaired SVF performance is well documented in patients with amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI). The two leading theoretical views suggest either loss of semantic knowledge or impaired executive control to be responsible. Method: We assessed SVF 3 times on 2 consecutive days in 29 healthy controls (HC) and 29 patients with aMCI with the aim to answer the question which of the two views holds true. Results: When doing the task for the first time, patients with aMCI produced fewer and more common words with a shorter mean response latency. When tested repeatedly, only healthy volunteers increased performance. Likewise, only the performance of HC indicated two distinct retrieval processes: a prompt retrieval of readily available items at the beginning of the task and an active search through semantic space towards the end. With repeated assessment, the pool of readily available items became larger in HC, but not patients with aMCI. Conclusion: The production of fewer and more common words in aMCI points to a smaller search set and supports the loss of semantic knowledge view. The failure to improve performance as well as the lack of distinct retrieval processes point to an additional impairment in executive control. Our data did not clearly favour one theoretical view over the other, but rather indicates that the impairment of patients with aMCI in SVF is due to a combination of both.

scholarly journals Social Jetlag and Prostate Cancer Incidence in Alberta’s Tomorrow Project: A Prospective Cohort Study

Cancers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 3873
Author(s):  
Liang Hu ◽  
Andrew Harper ◽  
Emily Heer ◽  
Jessica McNeil ◽  
Chao Cao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Cancer Risk ◽  
Cancer Incidence ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Prospective Cohort ◽  
Prostate Cancer Risk ◽  
Absolute Difference ◽  
Prostate Cancer Incidence ◽  
Social Jetlag ◽  
Increased Risk

We investigated the association of social jetlag (misalignment between the internal clock and socially required timing of activities) and prostate cancer incidence in a prospective cohort in Alberta, Canada. Data were collected from 7455 cancer-free men aged 35–69 years enrolled in Alberta’s Tomorrow Project (ATP) from 2001–2007. In the 2008 survey, participants reported usual bed- and wake-times on weekdays and weekend days. Social jetlag was defined as the absolute difference in waking time between weekday and weekend days, and was categorized into three groups: 0–<1 h (from 0 to anything smaller than 1), 1–<2 h (from 1 to anything smaller than 2), and 2+ h. ATP facilitated data linkage with the Alberta Cancer Registry in June 2018 to determine incident prostate cancer cases (n = 250). Hazard ratios (HR) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regressions, adjusting for a range of covariates. Median follow-up was 9.57 years, yielding 68,499 person-years. Baseline presence of social jetlag of 1–<2 h (HR = 1.52, 95% CI: 1.10 to 2.01), and 2+ hours (HR = 1.69, 95% CI: 1.15 to 2.46) were associated with increased prostate cancer risk vs. those reporting no social jetlag (p for trend = 0.004). These associations remained after adjusting for sleep duration (p for trend = 0.006). With respect to chronotype, the association between social jetlag and prostate cancer risk remained significant in men with early chronotypes (p for trend = 0.003) but attenuated to null in men with intermediate (p for trend = 0.150) or late chronotype (p for trend = 0.381). Our findings suggest that greater than one hour of habitual social jetlag is associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer. Longitudinal studies with repeated measures of social jetlag and large samples with sufficient advanced prostate cancer cases are needed to confirm these findings.

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