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Tan Q, Li W, Nygaard M, An P, Feitosa M, Wojczynski MK, Zmuda J, Arbeev K, Ukraintseva S, Yashin A, Christensen K, Mengel-From J. Genome-Wide Epistatic Network Analyses of Semantic Fluency in Older Adults. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:5257. [PMID: 38791296 PMCID: PMC11120839 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25105257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2024] [Revised: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Semantic fluency impairment has been attributed to a wide range of neurocognitive and psychiatric conditions, especially in the older population. Moderate heritability estimates on semantic fluency were obtained from both twin and family-based studies suggesting genetic contributions to the observed variation across individuals. Currently, effort in identifying the genetic variants underlying the heritability estimates for this complex trait remains scarce. Using the semantic fluency scale and genome-wide SNP genotype data from the Long Life Family Study (LLFS), we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) and epistasis network analysis on semantic fluency in 2289 individuals aged over 60 years from the American LLFS cohorts and replicated the findings in 1129 individuals aged over 50 years from the Danish LLFS cohort. In the GWAS, two SNPs with genome-wide significance (rs3749683, p = 2.52 × 10-8; rs880179, p = 4.83 × 10-8) mapped to the CMYAS gene on chromosome 5 were detected. The epistasis network analysis identified five modules as significant (4.16 × 10-5 < p < 7.35 × 10-3), of which two were replicated (p < 3.10 × 10-3). These two modules revealed significant enrichment of tissue-specific gene expression in brain tissues and high enrichment of GWAS catalog traits, e.g., obesity-related traits, blood pressure, chronotype, sleep duration, and brain structure, that have been reported to associate with verbal performance in epidemiological studies. Our results suggest high tissue specificity of genetic regulation of gene expression in brain tissues with epistatic SNP networks functioning jointly in modifying individual verbal ability and cognitive performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qihua Tan
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Biodemography, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense, Denmark; (W.L.); (M.N.); (K.C.); (J.M.-F.)
- Unit of Human Genetics, Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense, Denmark
| | - Weilong Li
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Biodemography, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense, Denmark; (W.L.); (M.N.); (K.C.); (J.M.-F.)
| | - Marianne Nygaard
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Biodemography, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense, Denmark; (W.L.); (M.N.); (K.C.); (J.M.-F.)
| | - Ping An
- Division of Statistical Genomics, Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; (P.A.); (M.F.); (M.K.W.)
| | - Mary Feitosa
- Division of Statistical Genomics, Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; (P.A.); (M.F.); (M.K.W.)
| | - Mary K. Wojczynski
- Division of Statistical Genomics, Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; (P.A.); (M.F.); (M.K.W.)
| | - Joseph Zmuda
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA;
| | - Konstantin Arbeev
- Biodemography of Aging Research Unit, Social Science Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NA 27708, USA; (K.A.); (S.U.); (A.Y.)
| | - Svetlana Ukraintseva
- Biodemography of Aging Research Unit, Social Science Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NA 27708, USA; (K.A.); (S.U.); (A.Y.)
| | - Anatoliy Yashin
- Biodemography of Aging Research Unit, Social Science Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NA 27708, USA; (K.A.); (S.U.); (A.Y.)
| | - Kaare Christensen
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Biodemography, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense, Denmark; (W.L.); (M.N.); (K.C.); (J.M.-F.)
| | - Jonas Mengel-From
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Biodemography, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense, Denmark; (W.L.); (M.N.); (K.C.); (J.M.-F.)
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Delgado-Losada ML, Rubio-Valdehita S, López-Higes R, Campos-Magdaleno M, Ávila-Villanueva M, Frades-Payo B, Lojo-Seoane C. Phonological fluency norms for Spanish middle-aged and older adults provided by the SCAND initiative (P, M, & R). J Int Neuropsychol Soc 2024; 30:172-182. [PMID: 37465902 DOI: 10.1017/s1355617723000309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Verbal fluency tests are quick and easy to administer neuropsychological measures and are regularly used in neuropsychological assessment. Additionally, phonological fluency is a widely used paradigm that is sensitive to cognitive impairment. This paper offers normative data of phonological verbal fluency (letters P, M, R) for Spanish middle- and older-aged adults, considering sociodemographic factors, and different measures such as the total number of words, errors (perseveration and intrusions), and 15 sec-segmented scores. METHOD A total of 1165 cognitively unimpaired participants aged between 50 and 89 years old, participated in the study. Data for P were obtained for all participants. Letters M and R were also administered to a subsample of participants (852) aged 60 to 89 years. In addition, errors and words produced every 15 seconds were collected in the subsample. To verify the effect of sociodemographic variables, linear regression was used. Adjustments were calculated for variables that explained at least 5% of the variance (R2 ≥ .05). RESULTS Means and standard deviations by age, scaled scores, and percentiles for all tests across different measures are shown. No determination coefficients equal to or greater than .05 were found for sex or age. The need to establish adjustments for the educational level was only found in some of the measures. CONCLUSIONS The current norms provide clinically useful data to evaluate Spanish-speaking natives from Spain aged from 50 to 89 years. Specific patterns of cognitive impairment can be analyzed using these normative data and may be important in neuropsychological assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- M L Delgado-Losada
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, 28223 Madrid, Spain
| | - S Rubio-Valdehita
- Department of Social Work and Differential Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, 28223 Madrid, Spain
| | - R López-Higes
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, 28223 Madrid, Spain
| | - M Campos-Magdaleno
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | | | - B Frades-Payo
- CIEN Foundation, Carlos III Institute of Health, 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - C Lojo-Seoane
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
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Pucci V, Guerra C, Barsi A, Nucci M, Mondini S. How long have you exercised in your life? The effect of motor reserve and current physical activity on cognitive performance. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 2024; 30:11-17. [PMID: 37066835 DOI: 10.1017/s135561772300022x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/18/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Aging of the population encourages research on how to preserve cognition and quality of life. Many studies have shown that Physical Activity (PA) positively affects cognition in older adults. However, PA carried out throughout the individual's lifespan may also have an impact on cognition in old age. We hypothesize the existence of Motor Reserve (MR), a flexible and dynamic construct that increases over time and compensates for age-related motor and cognitive loss. METHODS Two questionnaires were developed and validated to estimate MR (Physical Activity carried out throughout the individual's lifespan) and Current Physical Activity (CPA, PA carried out in the previous 12 months). They were administered to 75 healthy individuals over 50 to verify the relation with cognition. MR and CPA include physical exercise (i.e., structured activities to improve or maintain physical fitness) and incidental PA, which we consider as any movement that leads to a metabolic cost above baseline (e.g., housekeeping, walking). In addition, the Cognitive Reserve Index questionnaire (CRI), a reliable predictor of cognitive performance, was used to measure each participant's Cognitive Reserve. RESULTS The factors that most influenced performance are Age and Cognitive Reserve, but also MR and CPA together and MR when it is the only factor. CONCLUSIONS Cognitive variability in adult and elderly populations is explained by both MR and CPA. PA training could profitably be included in new preventive and existing interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Pucci
- Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Education and Applied Psychology, FISPPA, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
- Human Inspired Technology Research-Centre, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Carolina Guerra
- Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Education and Applied Psychology, FISPPA, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Amanda Barsi
- Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Education and Applied Psychology, FISPPA, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Massimo Nucci
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Sara Mondini
- Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Education and Applied Psychology, FISPPA, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
- Human Inspired Technology Research-Centre, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
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Johnson R, Bhandary P R, Guddatu V, Kamath C, John S. Comparison of verbal fluency performance in Kannada-speaking adults with and without euthymic bipolar disorder type 1. APPLIED NEUROPSYCHOLOGY. ADULT 2023:1-11. [PMID: 38117696 DOI: 10.1080/23279095.2023.2289550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2023]
Abstract
Individuals with euthymic bipolar disorder (BD) type I exhibit deficits in executive functions. Although less explored in the BD population, the tasks of verbal fluency (VF) have shown great potential in understanding semantic organization. This study provides an extensive exploration across the letter and semantic VF tasks in 27 demographically matched euthymic BD-I and healthy controls (HC). The groups were compared on measures of the total number of correct words (TNCW), temporal pattern analysis, number of clusters (NC), mean cluster size (MCS), number of switches (NS), and error pattern. An overall reduction in letter fluency scores (the TNCW, number of switches, and NC) as compared to semantic fluency scores was noted for both groups, with a significantly greater decrease in the BD-1 group. The MCS and temporal pattern were relatively similar across the two groups. The influence of education with no gender difference was observed between groups with error types prevalent in both groups. The study findings call attention toward assessing the VF performance in persons with BD in terms of error production and the strategies employed (clustering-switching).
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Johnson
- Department of Speech and Hearing, Manipal College of Health Professions, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India
| | | | - Vasudeva Guddatu
- Department of Data Science, Prasanna School of Public Health, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India
| | - Chinmayi Kamath
- Department of Speech and Hearing, Manipal College of Health Professions, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India
| | - Sunila John
- Department of Speech and Hearing, Manipal College of Health Professions, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India
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Villalobos D, Torres-Simón L, Pacios J, Paúl N, Del Río D. A Systematic Review of Normative Data for Verbal Fluency Test in Different Languages. Neuropsychol Rev 2023; 33:733-764. [PMID: 36098929 DOI: 10.1007/s11065-022-09549-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Verbal fluency tests are easy and quick to use in neuropsychological assessments, so they have been counted among the most classical tools in this context. To date, several normative data for verbal fluency tests have been provided in different languages and countries. A systematic review was carried out with studies that provide normative data for verbal fluency tests. Studies were collected from Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science. 183 studies were retrieved from the database search, of which 73 finally met the inclusion criteria. An analysis of the risk of bias regarding samples selection/characterization and procedure/results reports is conducted for each article. Finally, a full description of the normative data characteristics, considering country and language, verbal fluency task characteristics (type of task) and sample characteristics (number of subjects, gender, age, education) is included. The current systematic review provides an overview and analysis of internationally published normative data that might help clinicians in their search for valid and useful norms on verbal fluency tasks, as well as updated information about qualitative aspects of the different options currently available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dolores Villalobos
- Department of Experimental Psychology, School of Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Center for Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Psychology, Cardenal Cisneros University Center, Alcalá de Henares University. Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- European Neuroscience Center, Madrid, Spain
| | - Lucia Torres-Simón
- Department of Experimental Psychology, School of Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Center for Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Javier Pacios
- Department of Experimental Psychology, School of Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Center for Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Nuria Paúl
- Department of Experimental Psychology, School of Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - David Del Río
- Department of Experimental Psychology, School of Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
- Center for Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
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Jebahi F, Abou Jaoude R, Daaboul H, El Achkar R, Jacobs MM. Preliminary normative data for 12 categories using semantic verbal fluency: The role of animacy. APPLIED NEUROPSYCHOLOGY. ADULT 2023; 30:680-685. [PMID: 34470556 DOI: 10.1080/23279095.2021.1971981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Verbal fluency tasks are a common part of neuropsychological batteries and are frequently used in clinical and research practices to support the diagnosis of neurological impairments. Semantic verbal fluency is most frequently examined using only the category of animals. Little is known about the differences other semantic categories may present on semantic verbal fluency performance. The purpose of this study was to establish preliminary categorical normative data across twelve categories comprising of different animate and inanimate categories using semantic verbal fluency in neurotypical Lebanese-speaking adults and to determine the impact of category affiliation (animacy) on semantic verbal fluency performance. The task was administered to seventy female and male adults aged between 19 and 79 years having different educational levels. Participants generated the greatest number of exemplars for the category of body parts. Participants then produced exemplars in the following decreasing order: animals, vegetables, fruits, clothes, kitchen utensils, naturals, electronics, furniture, means of transportation, tools, and accessories. The animate categories were associated with the greatest number of exemplars compared to the inanimate. Clustering strategy might have been reinforced by the shared properties of animates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatima Jebahi
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA
- Department of Speech Therapy, Lebanese University, Fanar, Lebanon
- Fulbright Association, Washington, USA
| | | | - Hadi Daaboul
- Department of Speech Therapy, Lebanese University, Fanar, Lebanon
- Department of Linguistics, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Rhea El Achkar
- Department of Speech Therapy, Lebanese University, Fanar, Lebanon
| | - Molly M Jacobs
- Department of Health Services and Information Management, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA
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Lehtinen N, Luotonen I, Kautto A. Systematic administration and analysis of verbal fluency tasks: Preliminary evidence for reliable exploration of processes underlying task performance. APPLIED NEUROPSYCHOLOGY. ADULT 2023; 30:727-739. [PMID: 34543139 DOI: 10.1080/23279095.2021.1973471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Verbal fluency (VF) tasks are typically scored by the number of acceptable words generated within an allotted time (i.e., total score). However, total scores do not provide insight into verbal and executive processes underlying VF task performance. Further analyses have been implemented to increase the analytical power of VF tasks, but systematic scoring guidelines are needed. We generated instructions for administration, scoring, and analyses of total scores, errors, temporal parameters, clustering, and switching with strong inter-rater reliability. To investigate the reliability of the proposed analysis, we modeled the performance of Finnish-speaking older adults (N = 50) in phonemic (/k/, /a/, and /p/) and semantic (animals) categories. Our results are in line with previous studies: We observed a higher performance on semantic than phonemic fluency (p ≤ 0.001, d = 0.91) and significant effects for education (p ≤ 0.001, d = 1.11) and gender (p ≤ 0.001, d = -1.11), but not for age (p = 0.10, d = 0.48). Most errors were repetitions. Performance declined over the allotted time frame as measured in 15-s segments (all ps < 0.001 with medium to large effect sizes). Task congruent clustering and switching were productive strategies (all ps < 0.001 with large effect sizes), and participants generated task discrepant clusters in both phonemic (p = 0.004, d = 0.69) and semantic tasks (p = 0.66, d = 0.18). The results substantiate the proposed method, providing evidence that these guidelines are a reliable starting point for VF task performance analyses in various clinical populations investigating VF task performance in depth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nana Lehtinen
- Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Ida Luotonen
- Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Anna Kautto
- Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
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Gordon JK, Chen H. How well does the discrepancy between semantic and letter verbal fluency performance distinguish Alzheimer's dementia from typical aging? NEUROPSYCHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENT, AND COGNITION. SECTION B, AGING, NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITION 2023; 30:729-758. [PMID: 35612362 DOI: 10.1080/13825585.2022.2079602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
In Alzheimer's dementia (AD), greater declines in semantic fluency (SF) relative to letter fluency (LF) have been assumed to reflect semantic disintegration. However, the same pattern is observed in typical aging and neurodegenerative disorders besides AD. We examined this assumption by comparing different aspects of SF and LF performance in older adults with and without dementia, and identifying which verbal fluency measures most clearly distinguish AD from typical aging. Verbal fluency data were compared from 109 individuals with AD and 66 typically aging adults. Correct items, clusters, and errors were analyzed using both raw counts and proportions. Regression analyses examined Task-by-Group interactions and the impact of demographic variables on verbal fluency measures. ROC analyses examined the sensitivity and specificity of the different outcome measures. In regressions, interactions were found for raw but not proportional data, indicating that different group patterns were driven largely by the number of correct items produced. Similarly, in ROC analyses, raw SF totals showed stronger discriminability between groups than either raw discrepancy scores (SF-LF) or discrepancy ratios (SF/LF). Age and cognitive status (MMSE) were the strongest individual predictors of performance. Findings suggest that AD entails quantitative declines in verbal fluency, but qualitatively similar patterns of performance relative to typically aging adults. Thus, SF declines in AD seem to be at least partially attributable to an exaggeration of the underlying mechanisms common to typical aging, and do not necessarily implicate semantic disintegration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean K Gordon
- Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Haoxuan Chen
- Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
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Macoir J, Hudon C. Normative data for the verb fluency test in the adult French-Quebec population and validation study in mild cognitive impairment. APPLIED NEUROPSYCHOLOGY. ADULT 2023:1-7. [PMID: 37084082 DOI: 10.1080/23279095.2023.2201448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/22/2023]
Abstract
Verbal fluency tests are used to assess executive functions and language. The verb fluency test has proven successful in distinguishing healthy individuals (HCs) from participants with pathological conditions. However, few normative and psychometric studies have been published for the verb fluency test. The aim of Study 1 was to provide normative data in the adult population of French Québec for the verb fluency test. The aim of Study 2 was to determine its discriminant validity and test-retest reliability. The normative sample consisted of 424 HCs aged 50-92 years. Multiple linear regressions were used to generate equations for calculating Z-scores. To assess discriminant validity, the performance of 46 HCs was compared with that of 46 participants with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). To determine test-retest reliability, the test was administered twice, 3 months apart, to a group of 25 HCs. Age, sex, and education level were significantly related to performance on the test. The test distinguished the performance of HCs from that of participants with MCI. Test-retest analysis showed that scores had good stability over time. Norms and psychometric data for the verb fluency test will help clinicians and researchers better identify executive and language impairments associated with pathological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joël Macoir
- Faculté de médecine, Département de réadaptation, Université Laval, Quebec, Canada
- Centre de recherche CERVO - Brain Research Centre, Québec, Canada
| | - Carol Hudon
- Centre de recherche CERVO - Brain Research Centre, Québec, Canada
- Centre de recherche VITAM, Québec, Canada
- Faculté des sciences sociales, École de psychologie, Université Laval, Québec, Canada
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10
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Malcorra BLC, Wilson MA, Schilling LP, Hübner LC. Lower Education and Reading and Writing Habits Are Associated With Poorer Oral Discourse Production in Typical Adults and Older Adults. Front Psychol 2022; 13:740337. [PMID: 35369132 PMCID: PMC8972065 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.740337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
During normal aging there is a decline in cognitive functions that includes deficits in oral discourse production. A higher level of education and more frequent reading and writing habits (RWH) might delay the onset of the cognitive decline during aging. This study aimed at investigating the effect of education and RWH on oral discourse production in older adults. Picture-based narratives were collected from 117 healthy adults, aged between 51 and 82 years (68.6 ± 6.38) with 0-20 years of formal education (10.1 ± 5.69). Measures of macro, microlinguistic and modalizations were computed and entered as dependent variables in hierarchical regression analyses that included age, education and RWH as regressors. Results revealed that higher education explained a better performance at the macrostructure and microstructure dimensions. Higher frequency of RWH explained the production of fewer modalizations. These results demonstrate the positive effect of education and RWH in oral discourse production in older adults. Therefore, higher attention should be given to these social factors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maximiliano A. Wilson
- Département de Réadaptation, Faculté de Médecine, Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche en Réadaptation et Intégration Sociale (CIRRIS), Université Laval, Quebec, QC, Canada
| | - Lucas Porcello Schilling
- Brain Institute of Rio Grande do Sul, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Lilian Cristine Hübner
- Department of Linguistics, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
- National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), Brasília, Brazil
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11
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Ang YS, Cusin C, Petibon Y, Dillon DG, Breiger M, Belleau EL, Normandin M, Schroder H, Boyden S, Hayden E, Levine MT, Jahan A, Meyer AK, Kang MS, Brunner D, Gelda SE, Hooker J, El Fakhri G, Fava M, Pizzagalli DA. A multi-pronged investigation of option generation using depression, PET and modafinil. Brain 2022; 145:1854-1865. [PMID: 35150243 PMCID: PMC9166534 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awab429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Revised: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Option generation is a critical process in decision making, but previous studies have largely focused on choices between options given by a researcher. Consequently, how we self-generate options for behaviour remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated option generation in major depressive disorder and how dopamine might modulate this process, as well as the effects of modafinil (a putative cognitive enhancer) on option generation in healthy individuals. We first compared differences in self-generated options between healthy non-depressed adults [n = 44, age = 26.3 years (SD 5.9)] and patients with major depressive disorder [n = 54, age = 24.8 years (SD 7.4)]. In the second study, a subset of depressed individuals [n = 22, age = 25.6 years (SD 7.8)] underwent PET scans with 11C-raclopride to examine the relationships between dopamine D2/D3 receptor availability and individual differences in option generation. Finally, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, three-way crossover study of modafinil (100 mg and 200 mg), was conducted in an independent sample of healthy people [n = 19, age = 23.2 years (SD 4.8)] to compare option generation under different doses of this drug. The first study revealed that patients with major depressive disorder produced significantly fewer options [t(96) = 2.68, P = 0.009, Cohen's d = 0.54], albeit with greater uniqueness [t(96) = -2.54, P = 0.01, Cohen's d = 0.52], on the option generation task compared to healthy controls. In the second study, we found that 11C-raclopride binding potential in the putamen was negatively correlated with fluency (r = -0.69, P = 0.001) but positively associated with uniqueness (r = 0.59, P = 0.007). Hence, depressed individuals with higher densities of unoccupied putamen D2/D3 receptors in the putamen generated fewer but more unique options, whereas patients with lower D2/D3 receptor availability were likely to produce a larger number of similar options. Finally, healthy participants were less unique [F(2,36) = 3.32, P = 0.048, partial η2 = 0.16] and diverse [F(2,36) = 4.31, P = 0.021, partial η2 = 0.19] after taking 200 mg versus 100 mg and 0 mg of modafinil, while fluency increased linearly with dosage at a trend level [F(1,18) = 4.11, P = 0.058, partial η2 = 0.19]. Our results show, for the first time, that option generation is affected in clinical depression and that dopaminergic activity in the putamen of patients with major depressive disorder may play a key role in the self-generation of options. Modafinil was also found to influence option generation in healthy people by reducing the creativity of options produced.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuen-Siang Ang
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478, USA,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA,Social and Cognitive Computing Department, Institute of High Performance Computing, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore 138632, Singapore
| | - Cristina Cusin
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Yoann Petibon
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Daniel G Dillon
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478, USA,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Micah Breiger
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478, USA
| | - Emily L Belleau
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478, USA,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Marc Normandin
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Hans Schroder
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478, USA,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Sean Boyden
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Emma Hayden
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - M Taylor Levine
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Aava Jahan
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Ashley K Meyer
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Min Su Kang
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478, USA
| | - Devon Brunner
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478, USA
| | - Steven E Gelda
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Jacob Hooker
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Georges El Fakhri
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Maurizio Fava
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Diego A Pizzagalli
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478, USA,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA,Correspondence to: Diego A. Pizzagalli, PhD McLean Hospital, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA 02478, USA E-mail:
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12
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Muayqil TA, Alshathri RM, Alnasser HA, Alfawzan LA, AlQarni AA, Alkeridy WA, Nafisah I, Aljafen BN, Alanazy MH. Effects of age, sex and education on verbal fluency tasks in a normal Saudi sample. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol 2022; 43:879-889. [DOI: 10.1080/13803395.2021.2025344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Taim A. Muayqil
- Neurology Unit, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | | | | | | | - Amal A. AlQarni
- College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Walid A. Alkeridy
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Medicine, Geriatric Division, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Ibrahim Nafisah
- Department of Statistics and Operations Research, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Bandar N. Aljafen
- Neurology Unit, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed H. Alanazy
- Neurology Unit, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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13
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Alantie S, Tyrkkö J, Makkonen T, Renvall K. Is Old Age Just a Number in Language Skills? Language Performance and Its Relation to Age, Education, Gender, Cognitive Screening, and Dentition in Very Old Finnish Speakers. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2022; 65:274-291. [PMID: 34929110 DOI: 10.1044/2021_jslhr-21-00178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE This study reports on how very old (VO) Finnish people without dementia perform in the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB) and two verbal fluency tasks and which demographic factors predict the performance. METHOD The study included fifty 80- to 100-year-old community-dwelling Finnish speakers with no dementing illnesses or speech-language disabilities, who completed the WAB and two verbal fluency tasks. Multifactorial statistical analyses with recursive partitioning were carried out to determine the significant predictors out of five predictor variables (age, gender, education, dentition, and Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE]) for four response variables (WAB Aphasia Quotient [AQ], Language Quotient [LQ], semantic, and phonemic word fluencies). RESULTS Overall, individual variation was notable in VO speakers. All predictor variables were statistically significantly associated with one or more of the language skills. Age was the most significant predictor; the critical age of 85-86 years was associated with a decline in WAB-AQ and semantic fluency. Poor dentition and the MMSE score both predicted a decline in WAB-LQ and phonemic fluency. A high level of education was positively associated with the skills of the best-performing individuals in WAB-AQ, WAB-LQ, and semantic fluency. CONCLUSIONS VO age is a significant factor contributing to language performance. However, a younger age, a good cognitive performance, intact teeth, and a higher educational level also seem to have a preservative power as regards language skills. Gender differences should be interpreted with caution. The results of this study provide culture- and language-specific normative data, which aids in differentiating typical aging from the signs of acute or degenerative neuropathology to ensure appropriate medical and therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonja Alantie
- Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, University of Turku, Finland
- Speech-Language Pathology, Tampere University Hospital, Finland
| | - Jukka Tyrkkö
- Department of Languages, Linnaeus University, Växjö, Sweden
| | - Tanja Makkonen
- Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, University of Turku, Finland
- Speech-Language Pathology, Tampere University Hospital, Finland
| | - Kati Renvall
- Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, University of Turku, Finland
- Department of Cognitive Science, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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14
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Rofes A, Sampedro B, Abusamra L, Cañataro P, Jonkers R, Abusamra V. What Drives Task Performance in Fluency Tasks in People With HIV? Front Psychol 2021; 12:721588. [PMID: 34721177 PMCID: PMC8548841 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.721588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Fluency tasks require language (i.e., semantics, phonological output lexicon, and phonological assembly) and executive functions (i.e., inhibition; mental set shifting; updating, and monitoring). Little is known about whether people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are more impaired on a specific type of fluency task and what aspects of language and executive functions drive such performance. Aims: To understand (1) whether people with HIV are more impaired in animal, letter, or unconstrained fluency relative to a normative sample; (2) whether there exist differences between tasks relative to the total number of words; and (3) which aspects of executive function and language are involved in their performance. Methods: Data from animal, letter, and unconstrained fluency of 50 Spanish-speaking people with HIV were analyzed. The number of switches and mean cluster size for each task and 10 word properties (e.g., frequency, age of acquisition, length in graphemes) for each of the correct words were measured. A chi-square test was used to address Aim 1, linear mixed effects models for Aim 2, and random forests and conditional inference trees for Aim 3. The results were cross-validated with a normative sample. Results: People with HIV were not more impaired in animal, letter, or unconstrained fluency relative to a normative sample. People with HIV produced fewer words in letter fluency compared to animal and unconstrained fluency. In addition, they produced fewer words in animal fluency compared to unconstrained fluency. Number of switches emerged as the most important variable to predict the total number of correct words when considering the three tasks together and for each task separately. Word frequency was relevant to predict animal fluency, age of acquisition to predict letter fluency, and cluster size to predict unconstrained fluency. These results were cross-validated with the exception cluster size. Conclusion: People with HIV rely on language (phonological output lexicon, not necessarily semantics) and executive functioning (updating and monitoring) to produce words in fluency tasks. These results concur with the current literature. Future work may correlate fluency scores with other tests measuring language and executive functions or study other types of fluency tasks (e.g., action, cities, supermarket, and professions).
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrià Rofes
- Center for Language and Cognition Groningen (CLCG), University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Bárbara Sampedro
- Linguistics School, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | | | - Roel Jonkers
- Center for Language and Cognition Groningen (CLCG), University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Valeria Abusamra
- Linguistics School, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Argentina's National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Hospital Interzonal General de Agudos Eva Perón, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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15
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Spatio-temporal gait parameters obtained from foot-worn inertial sensors are reliable in healthy adults in single- and dual-task conditions. Sci Rep 2021; 11:10229. [PMID: 33986307 PMCID: PMC8119721 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-88794-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Inertial measurement units (IMUs) are increasingly popular and may be usable in clinical routine to assess gait. However, assessing their intra-session reliability is crucial and has not been tested with foot-worn sensors in healthy participants. The aim of this study was to assess the intra-session reliability of foot-worn IMUs for measuring gait parameters in healthy adults. Twenty healthy participants were enrolled in the study and performed the 10-m walk test in single- and dual-task ('carrying a full cup of water') conditions, three trials per condition. IMUs were used to assess spatiotemporal gait parameters, gait symmetry parameters (symmetry index (SI) and symmetry ratio (SR)), and dual task effects parameters. The relative and the absolute reliability were calculated for each gait parameter. Results showed that spatiotemporal gait parameters measured with foot-worn inertial sensors were reliable; symmetry gait parameters relative reliability was low, and SR showed better absolute reliability than SI; dual task effects were poorly reliable, and taking the mean of the second and the third trials was the most reliable. Foot-worn IMUs are reliable to assess spatiotemporal and symmetry ratio gait parameters but symmetry index and DTE gait parameters reliabilities were low and need to be interpreted with cautious by clinicians and researchers.
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16
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Boyle R, Jollans L, Rueda-Delgado LM, Rizzo R, Yener GG, McMorrow JP, Knight SP, Carey D, Robertson IH, Emek-Savaş DD, Stern Y, Kenny RA, Whelan R. Brain-predicted age difference score is related to specific cognitive functions: a multi-site replication analysis. Brain Imaging Behav 2021; 15:327-345. [PMID: 32141032 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-020-00260-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Brain-predicted age difference scores are calculated by subtracting chronological age from 'brain' age, which is estimated using neuroimaging data. Positive scores reflect accelerated ageing and are associated with increased mortality risk and poorer physical function. To date, however, the relationship between brain-predicted age difference scores and specific cognitive functions has not been systematically examined using appropriate statistical methods. First, applying machine learning to 1359 T1-weighted MRI scans, we predicted the relationship between chronological age and voxel-wise grey matter data. This model was then applied to MRI data from three independent datasets, significantly predicting chronological age in each dataset: Dokuz Eylül University (n = 175), the Cognitive Reserve/Reference Ability Neural Network study (n = 380), and The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (n = 487). Each independent dataset had rich neuropsychological data. Brain-predicted age difference scores were significantly negatively correlated with performance on measures of general cognitive status (two datasets); processing speed, visual attention, and cognitive flexibility (three datasets); visual attention and cognitive flexibility (two datasets); and semantic verbal fluency (two datasets). As such, there is firm evidence of correlations between increased brain-predicted age differences and reduced cognitive function in some domains that are implicated in cognitive ageing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rory Boyle
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Lloyd Building, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Lee Jollans
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, München, Germany
| | - Laura M Rueda-Delgado
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Lloyd Building, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Rossella Rizzo
- Physics Department, University of Calabria, Rende, CS, Italy
| | - Görsev G Yener
- Department of Neurosciences, Institute of Health Sciences, Dokuz Eylul University, İzmir, Turkey
- Department of Neurology, Dokuz Eylul University Medical School, İzmir, Turkey
- Brain Dynamics Multidisciplinary Research Center, Dokuz Eylul University, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Jason P McMorrow
- Centre for Advanced Medical Imaging, St. James's Hospital, Dublin 8, Ireland
- School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Silvin P Knight
- School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
- The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Daniel Carey
- The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
- Department of Medical Gerontology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Ian H Robertson
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Lloyd Building, Dublin 2, Ireland
- Global Brain Health Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Lloyd Building, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Derya D Emek-Savaş
- Department of Neurosciences, Institute of Health Sciences, Dokuz Eylul University, İzmir, Turkey
- Global Brain Health Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Lloyd Building, Dublin 2, Ireland
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Letters, Dokuz Eylul University, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Yaakov Stern
- Cognitive Neuroscience Division, Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Rose Anne Kenny
- School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
- The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
- Mercer's Institute for Successful Ageing, St. James's Hospital, Dublin 8, Ireland
| | - Robert Whelan
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Lloyd Building, Dublin 2, Ireland.
- Global Brain Health Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Lloyd Building, Dublin 2, Ireland.
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17
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Jebahi F, Abou Jaoude R, Ellis C. Semantic verbal fluency task: The effects of age, educational level, and sex in Lebanese-speaking adults. APPLIED NEUROPSYCHOLOGY. ADULT 2020; 29:936-940. [PMID: 32936011 DOI: 10.1080/23279095.2020.1821031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Verbal fluency tasks are considered clinically valuable measures of cognitive impairment for they are short, easy to score and administer, and of low costs. Sociodemographic, cultural, and linguistic variables have been shown to affect verbal fluency performance. Information concerning the effects of sociodemographic variables on semantic verbal fluency (SVF) performance in Lebanon and other Arabic-speaking countries is lacking. This study examined the effects of age, educational level, and sex on SVF performance in healthy Lebanese-speaking adults. Data were obtained from 70 adult Lebanese speakers ages 19-79. Participants were presented with fourteen categories, each at a time, and were asked to generate as many exemplars as they could in 60 seconds. Results from regression analyses showed that age (p < .001) and educational level (p = .002) variables had significant effects on overall SVF performance resulting in younger adults and adults with higher educational levels achieving higher SVF scores. Overall, sex did not emerge a predictor of SVF performance. Category-specific differences demonstrate variability. Consequently, the effects education and age present on SVF may be due to their critical roles in the semantic and non-semantic components of SVF, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatima Jebahi
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA.,Department of Speech Therapy, Lebanese University, Fanar, Lebanon.,Fulbright Association, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Charles Ellis
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA
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18
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Tessaro B, Hermes-Pereira A, Schilling LP, Fonseca RP, Kochhann R, Hübner LC. Verbal fluency in Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment in individuals with low educational level and its relationship with reading and writing habits. Dement Neuropsychol 2020; 14:300-307. [PMID: 32973983 PMCID: PMC7500813 DOI: 10.1590/1980-57642020dn14-030011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Verbal fluency (VF) has contributed to building cognitive maps as well as differentiating healthy populations from those with dementia. Objectives To compare the performance of healthy controls and patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) in two semantic VF tasks (animals/clothes) and a phonemic VF task (letter P). Also, to analyze the relationship between the frequency of reading and writing habits (FRWH) and VF in individuals with low educational level. Methods Sixty-seven older adults aged 60-80 years and with 2-8 years of schooling were divided into three groups: controls (n=25), older adults with MCI (n=24), and older adults with AD (n=18). We analyzed the type, mean size, and number of clusters, switches, intersections, and returns. A post-hoc single-factor ANOVA analysis was conducted to verify differences between groups. Results Total words in the phonemic VF and the animal category discriminated the three groups. Regarding the animal category, AD patients performed worse than controls in the total number of words, taxonomic clusters, returns, and number of words remembered. We found a moderate correlation between FRWH and total number of words in the phonemic fluency. Conclusions Semantic (animate) and phonemic (total words) VF differentiated controls and clinical groups from each other - the phonemic component was more related to FRWH than the semantic one. The phonemic VF seems to be more related to cognitive reserve. VF tasks, considering total words and cluster analyses, are a valuable tool to test healthy and cognitively impaired older adults who have a low educational level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruna Tessaro
- Linguistics Department, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul - Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | | | - Lucas Porcello Schilling
- Brain Institute - Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.,Neurology Service, São Lucas Hospital, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul - Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Rochele Paz Fonseca
- Psychology Department, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul - Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.,National Council for Scientific and Technological Development - Brasília, DF, Brazil
| | - Renata Kochhann
- Psychology Department, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul - Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Lilian Cristine Hübner
- Linguistics Department, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul - Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.,National Council for Scientific and Technological Development - Brasília, DF, Brazil
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19
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Wauters L, Marquardt T, Muñoz ML. Verbal fluency in three Spanish-English bilingual speakers with TBI. JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION DISORDERS 2019; 84:105971. [PMID: 31935540 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2019.105971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2017] [Revised: 12/09/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated differences between healthy bilingual participants and bilingual participants with traumatic brain injury (TBI) on verbal fluency tasks. The performance of three Spanish-English bilingual speakers with traumatic brain injury was compared to the performance of 30 neurotypical bilingual speakers on tasks of category and letter verbal fluency in English and Spanish. Responses were analyzed for total number of correct productions, differences in correct productions between languages, average cluster size, total number of switches, and rates of language choice errors. The data were analyzed using predicted scores from regression equations based on neurotypical data and modified t-tests. Analyses revealed significantly lower total output than predicted by the regression equations for both task types and in both languages for one TBI participant. The same participant demonstrated significantly lower total number of switches than the neurotypical group. Two participants demonstrated higher rates of language choice errors than the neurotypical group. There were no significant differences between TBI participants and the neurotypical group for average cluster size. There were no significant differences between predicted and obtained values for differences between English and Spanish total number correct in each task type. Results are discussed in the context of individual cognitive and linguistic profiles of the TBI participants.
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20
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Maruta C, Martins IP. May Subjective Language Complaints Predict Future Language Decline in Community-Dwelling Subjects? Front Psychol 2019; 10:1974. [PMID: 31555171 PMCID: PMC6722202 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2019] [Accepted: 08/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Subjective cognitive complaints are rather prevalent in the elderly population and are associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment and dementia. However, the predictive role of specific types of cognitive complaints has been less systematically assessed. The aim of the present study is to examine the predictive value of language complaints for cognitive and language decline in a cohort of community-dwelling healthy older adults, followed longitudinally over a 5-year period. A total of 402 subjects were enrolled in a prospective longitudinal study on aging and cognition. Participants answered a cognitive complaints questionnaire including two questions directed to language and were classified at baseline as having “Language Complaints” (LC) or “No Language Complaints” (NLC). They also performed a neuropsychological assessment tackling attention/processing speed, memory, executive functioning, and language at baseline. From these, 275 (68.4%) participated in a follow-up evaluation 4.9 (±0.6) years later. At re-evaluation, subjects had a mean age of 70.4 (±8.3) years, 7.5 (±4.4) years of education, and 63.3% were female. Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to investigate whether language complaints at baseline predicted poorer language performance at follow-up or increased the risk of cognitive decline, with correction for sex, depressive symptoms, living status, baseline performance, and composite memory and executive performance. Results indicated that LC subjects had significantly worse performances than NLC subjects on semantic fluency 5 years later, but with a similar rate of decline overtime that was not associated with a follow-up outcome of cognitive decline/dementia. Language difficulties may represent a specific type of age-related cognitive complaints. Longer follow-ups are necessary to understand if they are associated with an increased risk of language or cognitive decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Maruta
- Language Research Laboratory, Centro de Estudos Egas Moniz, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.,Católica Research Center for Psychological, Family, and Social Wellbeing, Faculty of Human Sciences, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Isabel Pavão Martins
- Language Research Laboratory, Centro de Estudos Egas Moniz, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.,Department of Neurology, Centro Hospitalar Lisboa Norte, Lisbon, Portugal
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21
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Herrera-García JD, Rego-García I, Guillén-Martínez V, Carrasco-García M, Valderrama-Martín C, Vílchez-Carrillo R, López-Alcalde S, Carnero-Pardo C. Discriminative validity of an abbreviated Semantic Verbal Fluency Test. Dement Neuropsychol 2019; 13:203-209. [PMID: 31285795 PMCID: PMC6601302 DOI: 10.1590/1980-57642018dn13-020009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Semantic verbal fluency (SVF) is one of the most widely used tests for cognitive
assessment due to its diagnostic utility (DU).
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Affiliation(s)
- José David Herrera-García
- Cognitive-Behavioral Neurology Unit, Neurology Department, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Granada, Spain
| | - Iago Rego-García
- Cognitive-Behavioral Neurology Unit, Neurology Department, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Granada, Spain
| | - Virginia Guillén-Martínez
- Cognitive-Behavioral Neurology Unit, Neurology Department, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Granada, Spain
| | | | - Carmen Valderrama-Martín
- Cognitive-Behavioral Neurology Unit, Neurology Department, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Granada, Spain
| | - Rosa Vílchez-Carrillo
- Cognitive-Behavioral Neurology Unit, Neurology Department, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Granada, Spain
| | - Samuel López-Alcalde
- Cognitive-Behavioral Neurology Unit, Neurology Department, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Granada, Spain
| | - Cristóbal Carnero-Pardo
- Cognitive-Behavioral Neurology Unit, Neurology Department, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Granada, Spain.,FIDYAN Neurocenter, Granada, Spain
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