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Zarino, Barbara, Marta Crespi, Michela Launi, and Alessandra Casarotti. "A new standardization of semantic verbal fluency test." Neurological Sciences 35, no. 9 (2014): 1405–11. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10072-014-1729-1.
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Vaucheret Paz, Esteban, Celeste Puga, Christy Ekonen, et al. "Verbal Fluency Test in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders." Journal of Neurosciences in Rural Practice 11, no. 01 (2020): 095–99. http://dx.doi.org/10.1055/s-0039-3400347.
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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.
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Lopes, Marcos, Sonia Maria Dozzi Brucki, Viviana Giampaoli, and Letícia Lessa Mansur. "Semantic Verbal Fluency test in dementia: Preliminary retrospective analysis." Dementia & Neuropsychologia 3, no. 4 (2009): 315–20. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/s1980-57642009dn30400009.
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Abstract The Semantic Verbal Fluency (SVF) test entails the generation of words from a given category within a pre-set time of 60 seconds. Objectives: To verify whether socio-demographic and clinical data of individuals with dementia correlate with the performance on the SVF test and to ascertain whether differences among the criteria of number of answers, clusters and data spread over the intervals, predict clinical results. Methods: This was a retrospective study of 49 charts of demented patients classified according to the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale. We correlated education, age and gender, as well as CDR and Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) scores with the number of answers, clustering and switching distributed over four 15-second intervals on the SVF test. Results: The correlation between number of answers and quartiles was weak (r=0.407, p=0.004; r=0.484, p<0.001) but correlation between the number of clusters and responses was strong (r=0.883, p<0.001). The number of items on the SVF was statistically significant with MMSE score (p=0.01) and there was a tendency for significance on the CDR (p=0.06). The results indicated little activity regarding what we propose to call cluster recalling in the two groups. Discussion: The SVF test, using number of items generated, was found to be more effective than classic screening tests in terms of speed and ease of application in patients with CDR 2 and 3.
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Herrera-García, José David, Iago Rego-García, Virginia Guillén-Martínez, et al. "Discriminative validity of an abbreviated Semantic Verbal Fluency Test." Dementia & Neuropsychologia 13, no. 2 (2019): 203–9. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1980-57642018dn13-020009.
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ABSTRACT. Semantic verbal fluency (SVF) is one of the most widely used tests for cognitive assessment due to its diagnostic utility (DU). Objective: our objective is to evaluate the DU to detect cognitive impairment (CI) of a short version of the SVF applied in 30 seconds (SVF1-30). Methods: a prospective sample of consecutive patients evaluated in a Neurology Unit between December 2016 and December 2017 were assessed with the Global Deterioration Scale (GDS), 30-second and 60-second SVF tests (animals), and the Fototest, which includes a fluency task of people’s names. The DU for CI was evaluated by the area under the ROC curve and effect size (“d” Cohen). Results: the study included 1012 patients (256 with CI, 395 with dementia). SVF1-30 shows a good correlation with GDS stage. The DU of SVF1-30 is identical to that of the classical version, applied in 60 seconds, (SVFtotal) for CI (0.89 ± 0.01; p > 0.50), and shows no significant difference for dementia (0.85 ± 0.01 vs. 0.86 ± 0.01, p > 0.15). Discussion: the DU of SVF1-30 is similar to that of the SVFtotal, allowing a reduction in examination time with no loss of discriminative capacity.
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Scholtissen, B., J. Dijkstra, J. Reithler, and A. F. G. Leentjens. "Verbal fluency in Parkinson's disease: results of a 2-min fluency test." Acta Neuropsychiatrica 18, no. 1 (2006): 38–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.0924-2708.2006.00122.x.
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Background:Patients suffering from Parkinson's disease (PD) are often reported to have an impaired performance on tests measuring executive functioning, such as fluency tasks.Aim:To investigate whether verbal fluency is impaired in PD patients (n = 25) compared with healthy controls (n = 15) using a 2-min semantic and phonemic verbal fluency test. A 2-min version of the fluency task was used to allow for more switches between clusters to study retrieval strategies more adequately.Results:No differences in performance on both semantic and phonemic fluency tasks between the PD patients and the control persons were found. Moreover, both groups appeared to use the same retrieval strategies.Conclusion:Patients suffering from PD appear to use the same strategies for producing words as healthy controls do. Different pathways may be involved in switching clusters during the fluency task than in other types of switching that may be impaired in PD, such as motor switching and concept-shifting.
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Barbosa, Alessandra Ferreira, Mariana Callil Voos, Janini Chen, et al. "Cognitive or Cognitive-Motor Executive Function Tasks? Evaluating Verbal Fluency Measures in People with Parkinson’s Disease." BioMed Research International 2017 (2017): 1–7. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/7893975.
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Introduction. Executive function deficits are observed in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) from early stages and have great impact on daily living activities. Verbal fluency and oral diadochokinesia involve phonarticulatory coordination, response inhibition, and phonological processing and may also be affected in people with PD. This study aimed to describe the performance of PD patients and an age- and education-matched control group on executive function, verbal fluency, and oral diadochokinesia tests and to investigate possible relationships between them. Methods. Forty people with PD and forty controls were evaluated with Trail Making Test (TMT, executive function) and phonemic/semantic verbal fluency and oral diadochokinesia (/pataka/) tests. Groups were compared by ANOVA and relationships were investigated by Pearson tests. Results. People with PD showed longer times in parts A and B of TMT. They also said fewer words in phonemic/semantic verbal fluency tests and less syllables in the diadochokinesia test. Oral diadochokinesia strongly correlated to parts A and B of TMT and to phonemic verbal fluency. Conclusion. Oral diadochokinesia was correlated to executive function and verbal fluency. The cognitive-motor interaction in verbal fluency and oral diadochokinesia must be considered not to overestimate the cognitive or motor impairments in people with PD.
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Paula, Jonas Jardim de, Gabrielle Chequer de Castro Paiva, and Danielle de Souza Costa. "Use of a modified version of the switching verbal fluency test for the assessment of cognitive flexibility." Dementia & Neuropsychologia 9, no. 3 (2015): 258–64. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1980-57642015dn93000008.
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Objective: Verbal fluency tests are widely used for the assessment of executive functions. However, traditional versions of the test depend on several cognitive factors beyond these components. The aim of this study was to evaluate the associations of a modified version of the verbal fluency with specific measures of executive functions. Methods: Sixty adults were evaluated using traditional versions of verbal fluency (animals/fruits) and a modified condition where subjects must switch between animals and fruits. Processing speed, semantic abilities, psychiatric symptoms and executive functions were also assessed. Results: Partial correlations between the verbal fluency tests and measures of executive functions, controlled for demographic, cognitive and psychiatric symptoms, suggest that cognitive flexibility has 9% shared variance with the verbal fluency test - category animals, 2 % with category fruits, 8% with total words in switching condition, and 20% with total correct word-pairs produced in switching condition. The other aspects of executive functions during the task had shared variance of between 1% and 7% with the verbal fluency tasks. Conclusion: The results suggest that correct word-pairs produced in switching verbal fluency may be a more specific measure for evaluating cognitive flexibility compared to other versions of verbal fluency.
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HENRY, JULIE D., and JOHN R. CRAWFORD. "Verbal fluency deficits in Parkinson's disease: A meta-analysis." Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society 10, no. 4 (2004): 608–22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1355617704104141.
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A meta-analysis of 68 studies with a total of 4644 participants was conducted to investigate the sensitivity of tests of verbal fluency to the presence of Parkinson's disease (PD) relative to healthy controls. Both phonemic and semantic fluency were moderately impaired but neither deficit qualified as a differential deficit relative to verbal intelligence or psychomotor speed. However, PD patients were significantly more impaired on semantic relative to phonemic fluency (rs = .37vs..33, respectively), and confrontation naming, a test of semantic memory that imposes only minimal demands upon cognitive speed and effortful retrieval, was associated with a deficit that was of a comparable magnitude to the deficits upon each of these types of fluency. Thus, the disorder appears to be associated with particular problems with semantic memory. Tests that impose heavy demands upon switching may also be disproportionately affected. Demented and non-demented PD patients differ quantitatively but not qualitatively in terms of the relative prominence of deficits on tests of phonemic and semantic fluency. However, patients with dementia of the Alzheimer's type and demented PD patients can be differentiated from one another by the relative magnitude of deficits upon these two measures. (JINS, 2004,10, 608–622.)
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Udhnani, Manisha, Moshe Maiman, Jonathan D. Blumenthal, et al. "Phonemic and Semantic Verbal Fluency in Sex Chromosome Aneuploidy: Contrasting the Effects of Supernumerary X versus Y Chromosomes on Performance." Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society 24, no. 9 (2018): 917–27. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1355617718000723.
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AbstractObjectives: Past research suggests that youth with sex chromosome aneuploidies (SCAs) present with verbal fluency deficits. However, most studies have focused on sex chromosome trisomies. Far less is known about sex chromosome tetrasomies and pentasomies. Thus, the current research sought to characterize verbal fluency performance among youth with sex chromosome trisomies, tetrasomies, and pentasomies by contrasting how performance varies as a function of extra X number and X versus Y status. Methods: Participants included 79 youth with SCAs and 42 typically developing controls matched on age, maternal education, and racial/ethnic background. Participants completed the phonemic and semantic conditions of a verbal fluency task and an abbreviated intelligence test. Results: Both supernumerary X and Y chromosomes were associated with verbal fluency deficits relative to controls. These impairments increased as a function of the number of extra X chromosomes, and the pattern of impairments on phonemic and semantic fluency differed for those with a supernumerary X versus Y chromosome. Whereas one supernumerary Y chromosome was associated with similar performance across fluency conditions, one supernumerary X chromosome was associated with relatively stronger semantic than phonemic fluency skills. Conclusions: Verbal fluency skills in youth with supernumerary X and Y chromosomes are impaired relative to controls. However, the degree of impairment varies across groups and task condition. Further research into the cognitive underpinnings of verbal fluency in youth with SCAs may provide insights into their verbal fluency deficits and help guide future treatments. (JINS, 2018, 24, 917–927)
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Neves, Tatiana Reis Fabiano, Narahyana Bom de Araújo, Felipe de Oliveira Silva, et al. "Accuracy of the semantic fluency test to separate healthy old people from patients with Alzheimer’s disease in a low education population." Jornal Brasileiro de Psiquiatria 69, no. 2 (2020): 82–87. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0047-2085000000270.
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ABSTRACT Objective Evaluate the accuracy of two semantic categories of the verbal fluency test (supermarket and animal categories) to separate healthy elderly individuals and lower educated Alzheimer’s disease patients. Methods We evaluated 69 older adults with less than 5 years of schooling, consisting of 31 healthy elderly, and 38 patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Semantic verbal fluency was evaluated using the animal and supermarket categories. Mann-Whitney U and Independent t Tests were used to compare the two groups, and the diagnostic accuracy of the tests was analyzed by sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratio’s, and the Area Under the Curve (AUC). Results We found a significant difference between the healthy older and Alzheimer’s disease groups, in both, animal (p = 0.014) and supermarket verbal fluency (p < 0.001). The supermarket category showed better overall diagnostic accuracy (AUC = 0.840, 95% CI = 0.746-0.933; p < 0.001) compared to the animal category (AUC = 0.671, 95% CI = 0.543-0.800; p = 0.014). Conclusion The supermarket category of semantic verbal fluency provides better accuracy than the animal category for the identification of dementia in a Brazilian elderly population with low educational level.
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Venegas, Mayra Jacuviske, and Leticia Lessa Mansur. "Verbal fluency: Effect of time on item generation." Dementia & Neuropsychologia 5, no. 2 (2011): 104–7. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/s1980-57642011dn05020008.
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Abstract The distribution of item generation/time in the performance of elderly on verbal fluency (VF) remains unknown. Objective: To analyze the number of items, their distribution and impact of the first quartile on the final test result. Methods: 31 individuals performed the tests (average age=74 years; schooling=8.16 years). Results: The number of items produced in the first quartile differed from the other quartiles for both semantic and phonologic VF where 40% of items were produced in the first quartile. No effect of age was found and schooling influenced performance on the first and second quartiles of semantic VF and on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd quartiles of phonemic VF. Discussion: This study contributes with the finding that asymptotic levels are attained prior to the 30 seconds observed in other studies, being reached at the 15-second mark. Furthermore, schooling was found to be associated to the number of items produced in both the first and 2nd quartiles for semantic VF, and in 1st, 2nd and 3rd quartiles for phonemic fluency. Conclusion: The schooling effect was noted both in semantic and executive aspects of VF. The brief form of the VF test may represent a promising tool for clinical evaluation.
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Morlett Paredes, A., M. J. Marquine, C. Madriaga, et al. "Normative Data for two Verbal Fluency Tests in a Spanish-Speaking Adult Population Living in the U.S./México Border Region." Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology 34, no. 7 (2019): 1264. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/arclin/acz029.31.
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Abstract Objective To investigate the impact of demographic factors and develop normative data for two verbal fluency tests in a sample of Spanish-Speakers living in the U.S./Mexico border region. Participants and Method The sample consisted of 252 adults (Age: M = 37.3, SD = 10.2, range 19-60; Education: M = 10.7, SD = 4.37, range 0-20, 59% female), living in the US-Mexico border region of Arizona and California. Participants completed the letter (letters P, M, and R) and semantic (Animal Naming) fluency tests as part of a larger neuropsychological test norming study. Normative T-scores were computed with fractional polynomial equations controlling for age, education, and sex. We also calculated the rates of impairment (T &lt; 40) that would be obtained by applying the newly developed norms and available test norms for non-Hispanic English-speakers. Results Higher education was significantly associated with better raw scores on both verbal fluency tests (letter: r = 0.41, semantic: r = 0.36, ps &lt; .001), and older age was significantly associated with higher raw scores on letter fluency (r = 0.14, p &lt; .05). There were no other significant effects of demographic factors. The normalized distribution of T-scores with the new norms showed the expected impairment rate (16% letter and 15% semantic fluency). However, application of existing non-Hispanic White norms resulted in 23% impairment for letter fluency and 24% in semantic fluency. Using non-Hispanic Black norms resulted in 9% impairment in letter fluency and 2% in semantic fluency. Conclusions We provide norms for Spanish speakers living along the U.S-Mexico border region for two verbal fluency tests that are co-normed with a more extensive neuropsychological battery. We demonstrate that application of existing norms derived from English speaking samples yield inaccurate estimates of impairment. As such, these regional norms will improve the interpretation of verbal fluency performance in Spanish-speakers living in the US-Mexico borderland.
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Nocera, Joe R., Keith M. McGregor, Chris J. Hass, and Bruce Crosson. "Spin Exercise Improves Semantic Fluency in Previously Sedentary Older Adults." Journal of Aging and Physical Activity 23, no. 1 (2015): 90–94. http://dx.doi.org/10.1123/japa.2013-0107.
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Studies suggest improvements of neurocognitive function among older adults who undergo aerobic exercise training. This study sought to examine the impact of an aerobic exercise intervention on verbal fluency in sedentary older adults. Twenty community-dwelling older adults were recruited and enrolled in either a spin exercise group or a control condition. Participants were evaluated with an estimated V02max test and on measures of letter, category, and switching verbal fluency both before and after a 12-week intervention period. Spin exercise resulted in a significant improvement in category (semantic) verbal fluency when compared with the control group (15% vs. 2% increase, respectively; P = .001). Spin exercise also resulted in a significant improvement in estimated V02max (P = .005). Also important, the spin exercise group demonstrated a high level of adherence (mean adherence = 82.5%). Spin exercise can be an effective mode of aerobic exercise to improve semantic fluency in previously sedentary older adults.
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Junior, Emilio Herrera, Fabio Limonte, Jessica Rodrigues, and Gustavo Herrera. "P2-402: Semantic verbal fluency test for animals in former alcoholics." Alzheimer's & Dementia 7 (July 2011): S440. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jalz.2011.05.1274.
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DE NÓBREGA, ÉRIKA, ANTONIETA NIETO, JOSÉ BARROSO, and FERNANDO MONTÓN. "Differential impairment in semantic, phonemic, and action fluency performance in Friedreich's ataxia: Possible evidence of prefrontal dysfunction." Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society 13, no. 6 (2007): 944–52. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1355617707071202.
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This study examined phonemic (letters), semantic (animals) and action verbal fluency cues in twenty-four patients with FRDA, and twenty matched healthy control subjects. The Action Fluency Test (AFT) is a newly-developed verbal fluency cue that consists in asking the subject to rapidly generate verbs. Given the high presence of dysarthria and cognitive slowness in FRDA patients, control tasks were administered in order to dissociate motor/articulatory impairment and cognitive slowness from verbal fluency deficit. Results showed that patients and control subjects performed similarly on the semantic fluency task. In contrast, patients performed significantly poorer on phonemic and action fluency tests. Correlational analyses showed that the deficits cannot be attributed to dysarthria or cognitive slowness. Although executive processes are necessary for initiating and monitoring all verbal fluency tasks, phonemic and action fluency may place a greater burden on strategic processes, given that they require a more unusual type of lexicon search. Thus, the deficits found occur in tasks that require greater executive/prefrontal control. This impairment might be the result of an affectation of cerebellum-prefrontal cortex connections, although the possibility of a primary prefrontal dysfunction remains to be investigated. (JINS, 2007,13, 944–952.)
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Radanovic, Marcia, Maria Teresa Carthery-Goulart, Helenice Charchat-Fichman, et al. "Analysis of brief language tests in the detection of cognitive decline and dementia." Dementia & Neuropsychologia 1, no. 1 (2007): 37–45. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/s1980-57642008dn10100007.
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Abstract Lexical access difficulties are frequent in normal aging and initial stages of dementia. Verbal fluency tests are valuable to detect cognitive decline, evidencing lexico-semantic and executive dysfunction. Objectives: To establish which language tests can contribute in detecting dementia and to verify schooling influence on subject performance. Method: 74 subjects: 33 controls, 17 Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) 0.5 and 24 (Brief Cognitive Battery - BCB e Boston Naming Test - BNT) 1 were compared in tests of semantic verbal fluency (animal and fruit), picture naming (BCB and BNT) and the language items of Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). Results: There were significant differences between the control group and both CDR 0.5 and CDR 1 in all tests. Cut-off scores were: 11 and 10 for animal fluency, 8 for fruit fluency (in both), 8 and 9 for BCB naming. The CDR 0.5 group performed better than the CDR 1 group only in animal fluency. Stepwise multiple regression revealed fruit fluency, animal fluency and BCB naming as the best discriminators between patients and controls (specificity: 93.8%; sensitivity: 91.3%). In controls, comparison between illiterates and literates evidenced schooling influence in all tests, except for fruit fluency and BCB naming. In patients with dementia, only fruit fluency was uninfluenced by schooling. Conclusion: The combination of verbal fluency tests in two semantic categories along with a simple picture naming test is highly sensitive in detecting cognitive decline. Comparison between literate and illiterate subjects shows a lesser degree of influence of schooling on the selected tests, thus improving discrimination between low performance and incipient cognitive decline.
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Memisevic, Haris, Sanja Soce, Lejla Kuralic Cisic, Inga Biscevic, and Arnela Pasalic. "VERBAL FLUENCY AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH INHIBITORY CONTROL IN CHILDREN GRADES 1-3." Acta Neuropsychologica 16, no. 4 (2018): 343–52. http://dx.doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0012.7922.
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Verbal fluency (VF) is a good indicator of a child’s academic prowess and later academic success. The goal of the present study was to examine the association between VF and inhibitory control. An additional goal was to examine the developmental trajectories of VF in relation to the grade and gender of the children. The sample for this study consisted of 210 children attending grades 1 to 3. Children’s performance was measured on two VF tasks: semantic fluency and phonological fluency. As a measure of inhibitory control we used a number of commission errors committed on the Multiple Choice Reaction Test. The results of this study indicate the lack of association between VF and inhibitory control. Children improved significantly in VF from grade 1 to grade 3. In relation to gender, girls outperformed boys on the test of phonological fluency but not on the test of semantic fluency. Given the importance of VF, these skills need to be tackled during the elementary school period and even earlier in preschool.
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C, Diblasio, Novack T, Cook E, and Kennedy R. "A-112 Validity of In-Person Assessment of Traumatic Brain Injury Inpatients Using the Brief Test of Adult Cognition by Telephone." Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology 35, no. 6 (2020): 905. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/arclin/acaa068.112.
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Abstract Objective Examine the correlation of the Brief Test of Adult Cognition by Telephone (BTACT) with established neuropsychological tests in an inpatient traumatic brain injury (TBI) population. Method Participants were 55 patients aged 18–76 years (M age = 37 years; 69% male) receiving inpatient rehabilitation for new-onset TBI at a level I trauma center, acute inpatient rehabilitation hospital. The BTACT is a brief cognitive test battery consisting of the following subtests: Word List Immediate and Delayed Recall (episodic verbal memory), Digits Backward (working memory), Number Series (inductive reasoning), Animal Fluency (verbal fluency), and Backward Counting (processing speed). With the intention of mirroring cognitive functions measured by the BTACT, the neuropsychological battery was comprised of the California Verbal Learning Test-2 (CVLT-2), Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV (WAIS-IV) Digit Span, Trail Making Test (TMT), semantic fluency, phonemic fluency, Symbol Digit Modalities Test, and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Results The BTACT was related to established neuropsychological tests across composite scores of overall cognition (r = .64, p &lt; .001), episodic verbal memory (r = .66, p &lt; .001), and executive function (r = .56, p &lt; .001). For BTACT subtests, Word List Immediate Recall and Word List Delayed Recall were correlated with CVLT-2 learning trials total (r = .57, p &lt; .01) and long delay free recall (r = .60, p &lt; .001), respectively. BTACT Digits Backward correlated with WAIS-IV Digit Span (r = .51, p &lt; .01). BTACT Animal Fluency was related to semantic fluency (r = .65, p &lt; .01), phonemic fluency (r = .60, p &lt; .01), and TMT-B (r = .39, p &lt; .01). Conclusion BTACT composite scores of overall cognition, verbal memory, and executive function are valid measures in a TBI inpatient population.
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Gustavson, Daniel E., Jeremy A. Elman, Matthew S. Panizzon, et al. "Association of baseline semantic fluency and progression to mild cognitive impairment in middle-aged men." Neurology 95, no. 8 (2020): e973-e983. http://dx.doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0000000000010130.
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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.
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Cottingham, Maria E., and Keith A. Hawkins. "Verbal Fluency Deficits Co-Occur with Memory Deficits in Geriatric Patients at Risk for Dementia: Implications for the Concept of Mild Cognitive Impairment." Behavioural Neurology 22, no. 3-4 (2010): 73–79. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2010/319128.
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We tested the notion that patients at high risk for progression to Alzheimer's disease (AD) display relatively isolated memory deficits by assessing the relationship between memory and fluency performances in a sample of 92 geriatric subjects with cognitive complaints and normal to mild clinical presentations. Patient groups were formed on the basis of memory test scores. Patients with normal memory scores also performed normally on fluency tests, and their fluency scores were significantly higher than those of patients with low memory performances. Patients falling between these two groups in memory abilities also displayed intermediate level fluency performances. Whereas the normal memory group performed at equivalent levels on semantic and phonemic fluency tasks, both the impaired memory group and the intermediate group displayed relatively greater weaknesses in semantic fluency. This pattern is similar to that seen in AD. Since the impaired memory patients meet criteria for Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment, these findings suggest that memory deficits in “pre-clinical” AD are likely to be accompanied by fluency weaknesses, with semantic fluency weaknesses predominating.
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GONZALEZ, H., D. MUNGAS, and M. HAAN. "A semantic verbal fluency test for English- and Spanish-speaking older Mexican-Americans." Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology 20, no. 2 (2005): 199–208. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.acn.2004.06.001.
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Kessler, J., M. Bley, R. Mielke, and E. Kalbe. "Strategies and Structures in Verbal Fluency Tasks in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease." Behavioural Neurology 10, no. 4 (1997): 133–35. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/1997/695154.
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Reduced word production in verbal fluency tasks is a sensitive indicator for brain damage. Patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are supposedly more affected in semantic than in letter fluency, which is probably resulting from partially destroyed structure of semantic knowledge, whereas in letter fluency tasks the patients can use phonemic cues for searching. In this study, 21 patients with probable AD according to NINCDS-ADRDA criteria were examined on a verbal fluency task with F, A, S as initial letters, and a supermarket task. Performances were compared with a control group. Patients with AD showed lower word rate in all tasks than the control group. The difference was most significant in the supermarket task. Both groups produced most of the words in the supermarket task, followed by S, A and F. They both showed a percentuallikely distribution pattern of items into different supermarket categories. The items of the supermarket task were mostly ranged in clusters (patients with AD 70%, control group 83%). Patients with AD, however, on average, used fewer categories which they also filled with fewer items. In the F, A, S test, patients with AD mainly produced nouns, whereas the control group named nearly twice as many adjectives and verbs. In patients with AD word generation was highly correlated with degree of dementia, free recall of a verbal memory task, and the Token test. Low word production and qualitatively changed output in patients with AD might relate to an inefficient searching strategy, attentional deficits and/or degraded semantic knowledge.
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Barea, Karla Shimura, and Leticia Lessa Mansur. "Knowledge of semantic categories in normal aged: Influence of education." Dementia & Neuropsychologia 1, no. 2 (2007): 166–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/s1980-57642008dn10200009.
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Abstract Semantic memory seems to resist the effects of time, remaining stable even in more advanced ages. Objective: To verify the effect of schooling level on semantic knowledge (non-living items) in normal aged. Method: 48 aged individuals were divided into three groups (based on schooling) and evaluated. Three tests were applied: verbal fluency, naming and figure classification. Results: We verified that the group with greater schooling (>8 years) differed to the illiterate and low schooling groups in most of the tasks, evoking more items in verbal fluency, correctly naming more items and presenting a greater number of "formal categories". Discussion: In the verbal fluency test, this difference could be explained by the types of strategies used by the individuals to recall words. In relation to the naming test, the effect could be attributed to limitation in the vocabulary and cognitive processing skills needed to search for semantic attributes of the figures. In categorization, this type of classification is dependent on scholastic learning. Conclusion: We concluded that both illiterate elderly and those having a low schooling level, presented poorer performance in semantic memory tests compared to the aged with a higher level of schooling. The similar behavior evidenced between illiterate and low schooling groups is intriguing. It remains unclear whether the low schooling group behaved like the illiterates or vice-a-versa. This unanswered question remains the subject of future studies.
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Bueno, A., W. Lopez Hernandez, P. Litvin, et al. "B-71 The Effect of Bilingualism on Verbal and Design Fluency Performance in Traumatic Brain Injury Survivors and Healthy Adults." Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology 34, no. 6 (2019): 1019. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/arclin/acz034.154.
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Abstract Objective Traumatic brain injury (TBI) impacts neurocognitive function. Language is also known to influence test performances. We examined the relationship between TBI and monolingualism/bilingualism on verbal and design fluency tests. Method The sample (N = 74) consisted of 33 healthy controls (18 bilingual; 15 monolingual), 15 acute TBI participants (6 bilingual; 9 monolingual), and 26 chronic TBI participants (15 bilingual; 11 monolingual). Acute TBI participants were tested 6 months post-injury and chronic TBI participants were tested 12 months or more post-injury. The Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System Letter Fluency (DKEFS-LF), Category Fluency (DKEFS-CF), Category Switching Fluency (DKEFS-CSF), and global verbal fluency composite (DKEFS-GVF) scores assessed verbal fluency; DKEFS fill-dots (DKEFS-FD), empty dots (DFEFS-ED), dot switching (DKEFS-DS), and global design fluency composite (DKEFS-GDF) scores assessed design fluency; and global verbal and non-verbal fluency composite (DKEFS-GF) assessed overall fluency. 3X2 ANOVAs were conducted to evaluate the effect of monolingualism/bilingualism on fluency performance in TBI and controls. Results The groups (control and TBI groups) differed for DKEFS-LF, p = .048, ηp² = .09, DKEFS-CF, p = .000, ηp² = .21, DKEFS-GVF, p = .004, ηp² = .15, DKEFS-ED, p = .008, ηp² = .13, DKEFS-GF, p = .001, ηp² = .20, with controls outperforming TBI groups on the DKEFS-CF, DKEFS-GVF, and DKEFS-GF. Furthermore, controls outperformed acute TBI participants on the DKEFS-LF and DKEFS-ED. Main effects were found for bilingualism/monolingualism on DKEFS-CF, p = .035, ηp² = .06, with bilinguals outperforming monolinguals. No interactions were found. Conclusion The TBI group had poor verbal and design fluency in contrast controls. Unexpectedly, bilinguals outperformed monolinguals on a task of verbal category fluency. Revealing that in the present study bilinguals have better semantic verbal fluency abilities.
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Chasles, M. J., A. Tremblay, F. Escudier, et al. "An Examination of Semantic Impairment in Amnestic MCI and AD: What Can We Learn From Verbal Fluency?" Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology 35, no. 1 (2019): 22–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/arclin/acz018.
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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.
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Szlejf, Claudia, Claudia K. Suemoto, Paulo A. Lotufo, and Isabela M. Benseñor. "Association of Sarcopenia With Performance on Multiple Cognitive Domains: Results From the ELSA-Brasil Study." Journals of Gerontology: Series A 74, no. 11 (2019): 1805–11. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glz118.
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Abstract Background Sarcopenia and cognitive impairment share pathophysiological paths and risk factors. Our aim was to investigate the association of sarcopenia and its defining components with cognitive performance in middle-aged and older adults. Methods This cross-sectional analysis included 5,038 participants from the ELSA-Brasil Study, aged ≥ 55 years. Muscle mass was evaluated by bioelectrical impedance analysis and muscle strength by handgrip strength. Sarcopenia was defined according to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health. Cognition was evaluated using delayed word recall test, semantic verbal fluency test, and trail making test version B. Possible confounders included sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle, and clinical comorbidities. Results The frequencies of sarcopenia, low muscle mass, and low muscle strength were 1.8%, 23.3%, and 4.4%, respectively. After adjustment for possible confounders, poorer performance on the verbal fluency test was associated with sarcopenia (β = −0.20, 95% confidence interval [CI] = −0.38; −0.01, p = .03) and low muscle mass (β = −0.08, 95% CI = −0.14; −0.01, p = .02). Low muscle strength was associated with poorer performance in the delayed word recall test (β = −0.14, 95% CI = −0.27; −0.02, p = .02), verbal fluency test (β = −0.14, 95% CI = −0.26; −0.02, p = .03), and trail making test (β = −0.15, 95% CI = −0.27; −0.03, p = .01). Conclusions Sarcopenia was associated with poorer performance on the verbal fluency test, and low muscle strength was associated with poorer performance in all cognitive tests in middle-aged and older adults.
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Passos, Valéria Maria de Azeredo, Paulo Caramelli, Isabella Benseñor, Luana Giatti, and Sandhi Maria Barreto. "Methods of cognitive function investigation in the Longitudinal Study on Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil)." Sao Paulo Medical Journal 132, no. 3 (2014): 170–77. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1516-3180.2014.1323646.
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CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE:Many uncertainties concerning risk factors and evolution of cognitive disorders remain. We describe the methods and preliminary results from the investigation of the cognitive function in the Longitudinal Study on Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil).DESIGN AND SETTING:Multicenter cohort study on public employees at six public teaching and research institutions.METHODS:The participants were interviewed and examined to obtain a broad range of social, clinical and environmental characteristics. The following standardized tools were used to assess memory, language and visuospatial and executive functions: words or figure memory test; semantic (animals) and phonemic (letter F) verbal fluency tests; and trail test B.RESULTS:15,101 out of 15,105 participants took the cognitive tests: 54% were women; the mean age was 51 years; and 52% had a university degree. 14,965 participants (99%) did the word test and 136 (1%) did the figure test due to low schooling level. The scores from the semantic verbal fluency tests (mean = 18.42 ± 5.29; median = 18 words) were greater than the scores from the phonemic verbal fluency tests (mean = 12.46 ± 4.5; median = 12 words). The median time taken to perform the trail test was 1.6 minutes.CONCLUSION:The large cohort size, of young age, and the extensive amount of clinical and epidemiological data available will make it possible to investigate the prognostic value of biological, behavioral, environmental, occupational and psychosocial variables over the short and medium terms in relation to cognitive decline, among adults and elderly people.
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Biscevic, Inga, Arnela Pasalic, and Haris Memisevic. "THE EFFECTS OF EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS AND THEORY OF MIND ON SEMANTIC FLUENCY IN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN." Problems of Education in the 21st Century 76, no. 1 (2018): 21–28. http://dx.doi.org/10.33225/pec/18.76.21.
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Semantic fluency (SF) is a suitable indicator of preschool verbal abilities and can be used as a predictor of later school success. This research examined the effects of executive functions (EF) and theory of mind (TOM) on semantic fluency in preschool children. Dimensional Card Sorting test was used as an instrument of executive functions and the Sally-Anne test was used as a measure of theory of mind. The sample for this research comprised 116 preschool children, 60 boys, 56 girls, aged 38-72 months. The results of this research revealed a statistically significant effect of EF on SF (p=.03). The effect of TOM on SF was statistically non-significant, although approaching statistical significance (p=.06). There were no interaction effects of EF and TOM on SF. Findings of this research strongly suggest the need for EF training activities in preschool children. Preschool institutions of 21st century need to have curricula aimed at fostering EF skills. Keywords: semantic fluency, executive functions, theory of mind, preschool children.
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O'Dowd, Brona, Jonathan Chalk, and Greig de Zubicaray. "Quantitative and Qualitative Impairments in Semantic Fluency, but not Phonetic Fluency, as a Potential Risk Factor for Alzheimer's Disease." Brain Impairment 5, no. 2 (2004): 177–86. http://dx.doi.org/10.1375/brim.5.2.177.58249.
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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.
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Zienius, K., P. Brennan, and R. Grant. "TM1-4 Verbal fluency test in patients with a newly diagnosed brain tumour." Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry 90, no. 3 (2019): e9.2-e9. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/jnnp-2019-abn.28.
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ObjectivesUtility of a simple 1 min cognitive screening tool, verbal fluency test, as a potential risk assessment tool for GPs for a suspected brain tumour.DesignCase-control study; patients with new diagnosis of brain tumour with a history of headache and patients referred for direct-access-CT for headache without a brain tumour.Subjects102 brain tumour patients: 34.3% HGG, meningioma 21.6%, cerebrals metastases 17.6%, LGG 11.8%, others (pituitary, schwannoma, haemangioblastoma) 11.8%, and CNS lymphoma 2.9%.MethodsGroup differences analysed with ANCOVA with age/gender as covariates.ResultsMean age was similar across both groups. There were more females in the control group. Tumour patients obtained significantly lower scores on fluency test measures. The largest effect size difference was observed for semantic total and phonemic total scores (Cohen’s d=−0.97 and −0.47, respectively. Brain tumour patients named on average 4.9 animals less (95% CI −6.32,–3.42) (p<0.001) than controls. On letter P task, there was a 2.2 word-mean difference (95% CI −3.6,–0.86)(p=0.001). Forty-eight (47.1%) tumour patients and 22 (23.4%) controls had subjective memory disturbance. Tumour patients performed equally on both fluency tasks regardless of memory complaints (p>0.5).ConclusionsSemantic test is more reliable to discriminate patients with a brain tumour. In contrasts to patients without a brain tumour, subjective memory impairment is not associated with a reduced performance on verbal fluency tasks.
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Quaranta, Davide, Alessia Caprara, Chiara Piccininni, Maria G. Vita, Guido Gainotti, and Camillo Marra. "Standardization, Clinical Validation, and Typicality Norms of a New Test Assessing Semantic Verbal Fluency." Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology 31, no. 5 (2016): 434–45. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/arclin/acw034.
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Roberts, Patricia, and Guylaine Le Dorze. "Semantic verbal fluency in aphasia: A quantitative and qualitative study in test-retest conditions." Aphasiology 8, no. 6 (1994): 569–82. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02687039408248682.
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Bäckman, Lars, and Lars-Göran Nilsson. "Semantic Memory Functioning Across the Adult Life Span." European Psychologist 1, no. 1 (1996): 27–33. http://dx.doi.org/10.1027/1016-9040.1.1.27.
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Using data from the first wave of data collection in the Betula project, this research examined semantic memory performance in adulthood and old age (N = 1000). The Betula project is a 10-year longitudinal study on memory and health that involves participants from 10 age groups: 35, 40, 45, …, and 80 years of age. Results from tests of verbal fluency and vocabulary indicated no performance variation between 35 and 50 years of age, followed by a gradual deterioration with increasing age. In a test of general knowledge, only the two oldest cohorts showed deficits. When educational level was statistically controlled, a different pattern of results was seen: the middle-aged adults performed at the highest level and, with the exception of one fluency test, no age-related deficits were observed before 75 years of age. These results suggest that, although there may be age-related deficits in semantic memory in the general population, education appears to be a more important factor than adult age per se for semantic memory functioning. The data support the view that activation of preexisting memory representations is relatively unaffected by the adult aging process, and demonstrate the pivotal role of cultural factors (e.g., education, verbal experience) in proficient semantic memory functioning.
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N, Kurniadi, and Davis J. "A-175 Logopenic Variant of Primary Progressive Aphasia in a 66-Year Old Female—A Case Study." Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology 35, no. 6 (2020): 969. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/arclin/acaa068.175.
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Abstract Objective The semantic, logopenic, and nonfluent/aggramatic variants of primary progressive aphasia (PPA) have distinct clinical profiles. However, much overlap exists and many questions remain regarding the nature of language impairments in each variant. This case study seeks to contribute to our understanding of the neuropsychological profile, syntactic, and phonological processes involved in logopenic variant PPA (lvPPA). Method The current case study was of a 66-year old female who gradually developed symptoms consistent with lvPPA during the prior four-year period, with marked worsening in the last few months. A collateral informant indicated that she was independent for basic and advanced activities of daily living. Brain/head imaging had not been conducted; medical history was unremarkable. Results Speech was notable for frequent pauses due to word-finding difficulty, circumlocution, and impaired naming, repetition, and verbal abstraction; fluency and comprehension were intact. Test data revealed significant impairments in tasks mediated by language including verbal processing speed, semantic knowledge, phonemic and semantic fluency, verbal learning and memory, verbal set-shifting, and judgment. Comprehension, non-verbal attention and processing speed, recognition for visual information, and performance on tasks of non-verbal executive functioning were intact. Depression and anxiety were denied. Conclusions Findings were notable for prominent language deficits, with preserved articulation, basic comprehension, and no evidence of visual agnosia. Her progression of symptoms, medical history, and test data were not consistent with a typical Alzheimer’s or vascular process, but were most consistent with lvPPA. Neurology consultation, MRI brain with volumetric analysis, and speech therapy were recommended.
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Szöke, Andrei, Anca Trandafir, Marie-Estelle Dupont, Alexandre Méary, Franck Schürhoff, and Marion Leboyer. "Longitudinal studies of cognition in schizophrenia: Meta-analysis." British Journal of Psychiatry 192, no. 4 (2008): 248–57. http://dx.doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.106.029009.
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BackgroundA wide range of cognitive deficits have been demonstrated in schizophrenia, but their longitudinal course remains unclear.AimsTo bring together all the available information from longitudinal studies of cognitive performance in people with schizophrenia.MethodWe carried out a meta-analysis of 53 studies. Unlike previous reviewers, we included all studies (regardless of the type of medication), analysed each variable separately and compared results with data from controls.ResultsParticipants with schizophrenia showed a significant improvement in most cognitive tasks. The available data for controls showed, with one exception (the Stroop test), a similar or greater improvement. Performance in semantic verbal fluency remained stable in both individuals with schizophrenia and controls.ConclusionsParticipants with schizophrenia displayed improvement in most cognitive tasks, but practice was more likely than cognitive remediation to account for most of the improvements observed. Semantic verbal fluency may be the best candidate cognitive endophenotype.
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Ardila, Alfredo. "A cross-linguistic comparison of category verbal fluency test (ANIMALS): a systematic review." Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology 35, no. 2 (2019): 213–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/arclin/acz060.
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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.
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Szepietowska, Ewa Małgorzata, and Anna Kuzaka. "An analysis of verbal fluency task performance profiles in patients with vascular brain pathology." Psychiatria i Psychologia Kliniczna 21, no. 1 (2021): 15–26. http://dx.doi.org/10.15557/pipk.2021.0002.
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Aim: Considering the data on the important role of verbal fluency tasks in neuropsychological diagnosis and the models of hemispherically specialised modulation of processes essential for different types of verbal fluency, we made an attempt to identify differences in correct and incorrect performance of 5 verbal fluency tasks between patients with vascular cerebral pathology, including hypertension, and healthy individuals. We also analysed task performance profiles within the groups. Materials and methods: The study included healthy volunteers (n = 36), hypertensive individuals (n = 33), and patients after left (n = 15) or right hemisphere stroke (n = 30) – 114 subjects in total. We used the Frenchay Aphasia Screening Test (FAST) to exclude patients with significant language difficulties/aphasia. We used 5 verbal fluency tasks: semantic (Animals), phonemic (“k”), verb fluency and two emotional tasks: Joy and Fear. We used general linear models for repeated measures for the analysis of correctly and incorrectly performed tasks. Results: The profiles of correct responses for all 5 tasks were similar in all groups, with quantitative intergroup differences. The highest number of correct responses appeared in the semantic, phonemic and verb fluency tasks, whereas the lowest number in the emotional tasks. Hypertensive individuals scored statistically insignificantly lower than healthy individuals, whereas patients after right/left hemisphere stroke scored significantly lower compared to both these groups. Despite a large number of errors, healthy individuals had the highest scores. Patients after right hemisphere stroke showed little differentiation in the number of correct responses in subsequent tasks. There were no intergroup differences in the level of performance of emotional tasks with different valences (positive and negative). Healthy and hypertensive individuals were characterised by a distinct heterogeneity of correct and incorrect responses in various tasks. Patients with brain pathology, regardless of its lateralisation, performed these tasks at a similar level, with left hemisphere damage resulting in the highest number of errors, mainly in semantic and phonemic tasks, and with right hemisphere pathology associated with errors in all types of tasks. The difficulties in patients with left hemisphere damage may result from weaker phonological and lexical processes, including access to semantic features of a word, while the low scores of patients with right hemisphere damage may be a consequence of impaired attention and executive processes. Conclusions: Patients with vascular pathology of the brain hemispheres achieved significantly lower scores in all types of fluency, while hypertensive individuals scored insignificantly lower than healthy subjects. This means that the method can be useful in differentiating between healthy individuals and patients with central nervous system damage, as well as those at risk. Future research should focus on a detailed analysis of the types of errors made by patients with hemispheric damage in various types of verbal fluency tasks. An analysis of the location of the pathology in the anterior-posterior dimension of each hemisphere could reveal specific features of verbal fluency.
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Соріано, Федеріко, Джуліета Фумагалі, Дієго Шалом, Барейра Хуан Пабло, and Мартінез-Квітіньо Макарена. "Gender Differences in Semantic Fluency Patterns in Children." East European Journal of Psycholinguistics 3, no. 2 (2016): 92–102. http://dx.doi.org/10.29038/eejpl.2016.3.2.sor.
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Previous literature in cognitive psychology has provided data involving differences in language processing between men and women. It has been found that women are usually more proficient with certain semantic categories such as fruit, vegetables and furniture. Men are reported to be better at other categories semantic, e.g. tools and transport. The aim of this article is to provide an inquiry about possible differences in semantic category processing of living things (LT) and inanimate objects (IO) by Argentinian Spanish-speakers school-aged children. The group of 86 children between 8 and 12 years old (51.16% boys) has been assessed on a semantic fluency task. Six semantic categories have been tested, three of them from the LT domain (animals, fruit/vegetables, and body parts) and three from the IO domain (transport, clothes and musical instruments). Results showed differences in semantic processing between boys and girls. Girls retrieved more items from the LT domain and activated more animals and fruit/vegetables. These findings appear to support an innate conceptual organization of the mind, which is presumably influenced by cultural factors and/or schooling.
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Huang, Chun-Jung, Po-Han Chou, Hao-Lin Wei, and Chia-Wei Sun. "Functional Connectivity During Phonemic and Semantic Verbal Fluency Test: A Multichannel Near Infrared Spectroscopy Study." IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics 22, no. 3 (2016): 43–48. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/jstqe.2015.2503318.
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CASTNER, JOANNA E., DAVID A. COPLAND, PETER A. SILBURN, TERRY J. COYNE, FELICITY SINCLAIR, and HELEN J. CHENERY. "Subthalamic stimulation affects homophone meaning generation in Parkinson's disease." Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society 14, no. 5 (2008): 890–94. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1355617708081046.
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Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) has often been associated with reduced verbal fluency performance. This study aimed to directly assess semantic switching as a function of STN stimulation in PD participants with the Homophone Meaning Generation Test (HMGT). Seventeen participants with PD who had received STN DBS completed the HMGT in on and off stimulation conditions. Twenty-one non-neurologically impaired participants acted as controls. PD participants (in both on and off stimulation conditions) generated significantly fewer meanings than control participants and consistent with the previous reports of verbal fluency impairment, PD participants produced fewer definitions in the on stimulation condition. PD participants (in both on and off stimulation conditions) also had greater difficulty generating definitions for nonhomographic homophones compared with homographic homographs. The results of this study indicate that STN stimulation exacerbates impairment in semantic switching. (JINS, 2008, 14, 890–894.)
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Del Pino, Rocio, Maria Díez-Cirarda, Javier Peña, Naroa Ibarretxe-Bilbao, and Natalia Ojeda. "Estimation of Cognitive Performance Based on Premorbid Intelligence in Parkinson’s Disease." Journal of Parkinson's Disease 10, no. 4 (2020): 1717–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/jpd-202142.
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Background: The estimation of premorbid intelligence (PI) is needed for an accurate diagnosis. Objective: This study aimed to estimate the cognitive performance taking into account the PI in Parkinson’s disease (PD) compared to healthy controls (HC); and to analyze the discrepancies between the current and the predicted cognitive performance based on the PI. Method: Semantic fluency, verbal and visual memory, and executive functions were assessed in 39 PD and 162 HC. A linear regression model was used to analyze the discrepancies between the predicted cognitive performance and the current raw scores through PI variables (Word Accentuation Test (WAT), Pseudo-Words (PW) Reading subtest from PROLEC-R, age, and years of education). ROC analyses were performed to assess their diagnostic properties. Results: Significant differences were found in the raw cognitive scores between patients and HC [semantic fluency (t = 6.07; p < 0.001), verbal memory (t = 6.63; p < 0.001), and executive functions (t = 2.57; p = 0.013), and in visual memory (t = 1.97; p = 0.055 marginally significant)]. Compared to HC, PD patients presented higher discrepancies between the predicted cognitive performance and the raw scores in semantic fluency, verbal memory, visual memory, executive functions (AUC = 0.78, 0.78; 0.64, 0.61, respectively). Conclusion: The magnitude of the discrepancies scores between the current and the predicted cognitive performance based on PI indicates the presence of cognitive decline in the specific cognitive domain in PD patients. This study underlines the usefulness of premorbid measures and variables, such as WAT, PW, age, and years of education, to more accurately estimate the cognitive performance in PD.
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Chen, Y. K., E. Lee, G. S. Ungvari, et al. "Atrophy of left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is associated with poor performance in verbal fluency in elderly poststroke women." European Psychiatry 26, S2 (2011): 1180. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0924-9338(11)72885-1.
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IntroductionPrefrontal cortex and sex difference are involved in verbal fluency network described in normal participants. Stroke patients often have prefrontal cortex atrophy.ObjectivesTo investigate whether atrophy in subdivisions of prefrontal cortex and sex difference contribute to verbal fluency in non-aphasic stroke patients.AimTo understand the relationship between the atrophy of left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and verbal performance in elderly poststroke women.Methods30 elderly (age> = 60 years old) women with non-aphasic ischemic stroke and 30 age-controlled stroke men recruited. Automatic segmentation methods were used to assess the volume of both sides of the whole prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, orbital frontal cortex and dorsalateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), as well as white matter lesions (WMLs) volume. Mini-mental state examination (MMSE) and semantic verbal fluency test (VFT, category: foods and animals) were administered at 3 and 15 months after the index stroke.ResultsThe mean (s.d) age was 73.3 ± 7.2 in women and 72.1 ± 6.9 in men. Men had higher education years, less diabetes and higher MMSE scores (p < 0.05). At 3 months after stroke, volume of the left DLPFC was significantly correlated with VFT score in women rather than men, even after controlled by age, education years, neurological deficit, diabetes, WMLs volume and infarct location (partial r = 0.477, p = 0.018). At 15 months, this correlation remained significant (partial r = 0.548, p = 0.006) in women.ConclusionSex difference may be present in the neuropsychological mechanism of verbal fluency impairment in patients with cerebrovascular disease.
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Costa, Alberto, Eriola Bagoj, Marco Monaco, et al. "Standardization and normative data obtained in the Italian population for a new verbal fluency instrument, the phonemic/semantic alternate fluency test." Neurological Sciences 35, no. 3 (2013): 365–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10072-013-1520-8.
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Sharma, M., B. Varatharajah, A. Wall, and B. Callahan. "C-27 Neuropsychological Differences in 10 Year Long-Term Stable Mild Cognitive Impairment and Converting Mild Cognitive Impairment." Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology 34, no. 6 (2019): 1056. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/arclin/acz034.189.
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Abstract Objective To examine baseline differences in neuropsychological performance between long-term stable mild cognitive impairment (sMCI) and those who convert from MCI to dementia (cMCI), hypothesizing sMCI will perform better on memory measures. While conversion has been previously examined, none examined sMCI with over 10 years follow-up. Method Data from the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center were used. Participants were defined as sMCI (n = 29) if cognitive status was MCI at first visit and at least 9 subsequent visits (10 total) and cMCI (n = 1887) if cognitive status was MCI at first visit and the participant converted to dementia at any subsequent visit. Participants with any history of stroke, traumatic brain injury, alcohol or drug abuse, or other neurological disorder were excluded. Participants completed neuropsychological measures of global cognition, immediate and delayed verbal memory, working memory, mental manipulation, semantic fluency, processing speed, and confrontational naming. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Geriatric Depression Scale. The Mann-Whitney-U non-parametric test was used to compare both groups at baseline on all measures. Predictors of sMCI were explored using binomial logistic regression. Results Participants did not differ significantly in age, level of education, or depressive symptoms. Comparison between groups at baseline indicate sMCI participants performed significantly better than cMCI on global cognition U = 13673,p < .001, delayed verbal memory U = 14549,p < .001, and semantic fluency U = 15538.5,p < .001. Of these significant measures, none predicted sMCI. Conclusions As hypothesized, sMCI performed better on delayed verbal memory, but also semantic fluency and global cognition, though none predicted sMCI. Future research must examine neuropsychological measures of other cognitive domains and their predictive value.
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Zhao, Qianhua, Qihao Guo, and Zhen Hong. "Clustering and switching during a semantic verbal fluency test contribute to differential diagnosis of cognitive impairment." Neuroscience Bulletin 29, no. 1 (2013): 75–82. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12264-013-1301-7.
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Pakhomov, Serguei, Kelvin Lim, and Laura Hemmy. "P3-250: Automated quantitative analysis of clustering and response timing on the semantic verbal fluency test." Alzheimer's & Dementia 8, no. 4S_Part_15 (2012): P547. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jalz.2012.05.2164.
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Cormier, Pierre, Judith A. Margison, and John D. Fisk. "Contribution of Perceptual and Lexical-Semantic Errors to the Naming Impairments in Alzheimer's Disease." Perceptual and Motor Skills 73, no. 1 (1991): 175–83. http://dx.doi.org/10.2466/pms.1991.73.1.175.
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The contribution of perceptual and semantic processing deficits to naming-test performance by Alzheimer's Disease subjects was examined. Groups of 34 Alzheimer subjects and 25 elderly controls completed tests of naming standard line drawings and naming perceptually degraded figures, and a test of verbal fluency for a specific semantic category. Alzheimer subjects were impaired on all measures and, when their naming-test errors were analyzed, they showed higher proportions of perceptual errors and failures to respond. Further, considerable variability in the proportions of different types of error was found both among subjects and among test items. These findings indicate that poor naming-test performance cannot necessarily be attributed to a specific deficit in semantic processing. Also, the discrepancies between previous reports of the naming deficits in Alzheimer's Disease may reflect differences in task difficulty and item selection that were apparent in this study.
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Nocera, Joe R., Kevin Mammino, Yash Kommula, Whitney Wharton, Bruce Crosson, and Keith M. McGregor. "Effects of Combined Aerobic Exercise and Cognitive Training on Verbal Fluency in Older Adults." Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine 6 (January 2020): 233372141989688. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2333721419896884.
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We have previously shown that aerobic exercise improves measures of verbal fluency in older adults, and such an improvement is correlated with improved cardiovascular reserve (i.e., estimates of VO2). Due to increasing popularity in computer-based cognitive training, we explored whether the addition of cognitive training to aerobic exercise would further enhance the beneficial cognitive impact of exercise. Therefore, this study sought to test the hypothesis that a cognitive training regimen alone would directly improve executive function and that this effect would be potentiated with the addition of aerobic exercise. The interventions lasted 12 weeks, and cognitive assessments were taken immediately prior to and after the interventions. We found that only the groups employing aerobic exercise showed improvements in verbal fluency (semantic and letter) and cardiovascular fitness with no other executive functions being significantly impacted. Cognitive training alone was associated with decreased verbal fluency. These data replicate previous findings which indicate that aerobic exercise may have a remedial or mitigating effect of cognitive decline. In addition, they provide evidence that the addition of concurrent cognitive training to an aerobic exercise program does not provide synergistic improvement in executive functions.
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Pizzonia, Kendra L., Andrew M. Bryant, Leatha A. Clark, Brian C. Clark, and Julie A. Suhr. "A-11 Investigating Gene–Gene Interactions by Cognitive Domain in Healthy Older Adults." Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology 36, no. 6 (2021): 1051. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/arclin/acab062.29.
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Abstract Objective ApoE is a well-known gene carrying risk for Alzheimer’s disease and is associated with memory performance while the COMT gene is associated with executive functioning but is understudied. The present study investigated these gene interactions across cognitive domains. Method A larger study on gait and aging recruited 89 healthy community-dwelling adults over the age of 60. The primary analyses included 82 participants (67% female, mean age = 74.61, SD = 6.71). The analyses on executive functioning included 72 participants (65% female, mean age = 73.02, SD = 4.99) who completed all measures of interest. ApoE status was defined as presence/absence of Ɛ4. The rs4680 gene on the COMT allele was classified into Val/Met, Val/Val, and Met/Met genotypes. Biological sex was included as a binary term (i.e., male/female). Index variables and age corrected standard scores on the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status, verbal fluency, and Trail Making Test were included. Results Gene–gene interactions were found for overall cognitive functioning, immediate memory, and semantic fluency. There were main effects of sex for overall cognitive functioning, immediate memory, delayed memory, and semantic fluency. There were main effects for COMT for delayed memory and a main effect for both COMT and ApoE for visuospatial functioning, coding, and verbal fluency (all p’s &lt; 0.05). There were no ApoE x COMT x Sex interactions and Trail Making Test B was not related to either gene or sex. Conclusion(s) Our findings suggest that both COMT and ApoE (and their interaction) influence cognition. Future research should investigate gene–gene interactions in larger samples with more comprehensive cognitive batteries.
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Galtier, Iván, Antonieta Nieto, Jesús N. Lorenzo, and José Barroso. "Mild Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson’s Disease: Clustering and Switching Analyses in Verbal Fluency Test." Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society 23, no. 6 (2017): 511–20. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1355617717000297.
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AbstractObjectives: Mild cognitive impairment is common in non-demented Parkinson disease patients (PD-MCI) and is considered as a risk factor for dementia. Executive dysfunction has been widely described in PD and the Verbal Fluency Tests (VFT) are often used for executive function assessment in this pathology. The Movement Disorder Society (MDS) published guidelines for PD-MCI diagnosis in 2012. However, no investigation has focused on the qualitative analysis of VFT in PD-MCI. The aim of this work was to study the clustering and switching strategies in VFT in PD-MCI patients. Moreover, these variables are considered as predictors for PD-MCI diagnosis. Methods: Forty-three PD patients and twenty normal controls were evaluated with a neuropsychological protocol and the MDS criteria for PD-MCI were applied. Clustering and switching analysis were conducted for VFT. Results: The percentage of patients diagnosed with PD-MCI was 37.2%. The Mann-Whitney U test analysis showed that PD-MCI performed poorly in different cognitive measures (digit span, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, judgment of line orientation, and comprehension test), compared to PD patients without mild cognitive impairment (PD-nMCI). Phonemic fluency analyses showed that PD-MCI patients produced fewer words and switched significantly less, compared to controls and PD-nMCI. Concerning semantic fluency, the PD-MCI group differed significantly, compared to controls and PD-nMCI, in switches. Discriminant function analyses and logistic regression analyses revealed that switches predicted PD-MCI. Conclusions: PD-MCI patients showed poor performance in VFT related to the deficient use of production strategies. The number of switches is a useful predictor for incident PD-MCI. (JINS, 2017, 23, 511–520)