Strain E, Patterson K, Graham N, Hodges JR. Word reading in Alzheimer's disease: cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of response time and accuracy data.
Neuropsychologia 1998;
36:155-71. [PMID:
9539236 DOI:
10.1016/s0028-3932(97)00092-4]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Using a list of high- and low-frequency regular and exception words, we measured the reading performance of three groups of subjects: patients with mild dementia of the Alzheimer's type (DAT) at presentation (Stage 1) and 2-3 years later (Stage 2); moderately severe DAT patients; and control subjects. In the longitudinally studied patients, there was a dramatic increase in response times (RTs) from Stage 1 to Stage 2, but little change in either error rate or pattern. By contrast, a comparison of the Stage 2 with the Moderate patients revealed similar RTs but a significant increase in error rate for the Moderate group, particularly on low-frequency exception words. These two results for word naming were almost exactly mirrored by effects in picture naming. We conclude that correct word reading, especially for less common words with atypical spelling-sound correspondences, is compromised in DAT only when the disease produces a significant deterioration of semantic memory. These results are relevant to current theories about normal and impaired reading processes.
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