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Xing J, Wei R, Wang H, Hua Z, Tang X, Yi L, Li X, Liu J. Symptoms of ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder Interactively Predict Children's Verbal Fluency. J Atten Disord 2024; 28:1092-1104. [PMID: 38353406 DOI: 10.1177/10870547241232081] [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: 04/14/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Verbal fluency, the capacity to generate words from a designated category, predicts myriad cognitive and life outcomes. The study investigated verbal fluency in children with ADHD, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and comorbid ADHD and ASD, to understand how ADHD- and ASD-related symptoms individually and jointly predict verbal fluency, and the underlying linguistic and cognitive substrates. METHOD Thirty-three school-aged children with ADHD, 27 with ASD, 25 with comorbid ADHD and ASD, and 39 with typical development, were assessed for ADHD and ASD symptoms and completed a semantic verbal fluency task. RESULTS Findings indicated that ADHD and ASD symptoms, especially ADHD hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms and language-related ASD symptoms, interactively predicted verbal fluency across diagnostic groups. CONCLUSION The study implicated the potential cognitive and linguistic mechanisms underlying verbal fluency differences in ADHD and/or ASD, and clinical practices on enhancing verbal fluency in these clinical groups.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ran Wei
- Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Hui Wang
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Beijing, China
| | | | - Xinzhou Tang
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Beijing, China
| | - Li Yi
- Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Xue Li
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Beijing, China
| | - Jing Liu
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Beijing, China
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Jebahi F, Nickels KV, Kielar A. Patterns of performance on the animal fluency task in logopenic variant of primary progressive aphasia: A reflection of phonological and semantic skills. JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION DISORDERS 2024; 108:106405. [PMID: 38324949 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2024.106405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE This study aimed to characterize the quantitative (total number of correct words generated) and qualitative (psycholinguistic properties of correct words generated) performance patterns on the animal fluency task in individuals with the logopenic variant of primary progressive aphasia and to investigate the influence of phonological and semantic abilities to these patterns. METHODS Fifteen participants with lvPPA and twenty neurotypical adults completed the animal fluency task and an assessment battery to characterize their phonological and semantic abilities. We recorded the total number of correct words produced and their psycholinguistic properties. Group differences were analyzed using independent samples t-tests and analysis of covariance. Stepwise and multiple linear regression analyses were implemented to investigate the contribution of psycholinguistic properties on word generation as well as the role of phonological and semantic abilities on performance. We also investigated the mediating role of phonological and semantic abilities on the relationship between relevant psycholinguistic properties and word generation output. RESULTS Compared to neurotypical controls, participants with lvPPA produced fewer correct responses and more words with lower age of acquisition. The total number of correct words generated was predicted by the age of word acquisition, such that individuals who generated more responses, produced words acquired later in life. Phonology and semantics influenced the number of correct words generated and their frequency, age of acquisition, and semantic neighborhood density. Familiarity and arousal were driven by semantic abilities. Phonological abilities partially mediated the relationship between age of acquisition and word generation output. CONCLUSIONS This study provides valuable insights into the performance patterns of the animal fluency task in lvPPA. Individuals with lvPPA with more intact phonological and semantic abilities generated greater number of words with more complex psycholinguistic properties. Our findings contribute to the understanding of language processes underlying word retrieval in lvPPA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatima Jebahi
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA; Cognitive Science Graduate Interdisciplinary Program, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
| | - Katlyn V Nickels
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA; Cognitive Science Graduate Interdisciplinary Program, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Aneta Kielar
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA; Cognitive Science Graduate Interdisciplinary Program, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA; BIO5 Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
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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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Grissom A, Finke E, Zane E. Verbal fluency and autism: Reframing current data through the lens of monotropism. Autism Res 2024; 17:324-337. [PMID: 38100264 DOI: 10.1002/aur.3071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to reexamine research that used verbal fluency tasks to reinforce assumed deficits in word knowledge and retrieval in the autistic population. We identified seventeen articles that compared the performance of autistic and non-autistic people on verbal fluency measures and provided an interpretation of the observed performance. In this narrative review, we summarize many components of these studies, including a comprehensive account of how authors framed their research findings. Overall, results of the studies showed variation both between and within groups in terms of total number of correct words, how many subsequent words fell into subcategories, and how frequently participants switched between subcategories. Despite wide variation in findings across studies, authors consistently interpreted results as revealing or reinforcing autistic deficits. To contrast the deficit narrative, we offer an alternative interpretation of findings by considering how they could provide support for the autistic-led theory of monotropism. This alternative interpretation accounts for the inconsistencies in findings between studies, since wide individual variation in performance is an expected feature of the monotropic theory. We use our review as an exercise in reframing a body of literature from a neurodiversity-affirming perspective. We propose this as a case example and model for how autism research and clinical practice can move away from the consistent narrative of autism deficits that has pervaded our field for decades. Accordingly, we offer suggestions for future research and clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alaina Grissom
- Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Erinn Finke
- Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Emily Zane
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA
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Yeske B, Hou J, Chu DY, Adluru N, Nair VA, Beniwal-Patel P, Saha S, Prabhakaran V. Structural brain morphometry differences and similarities between young patients with Crohn's disease in remission and healthy young and old controls. Front Neurosci 2024; 18:1210939. [PMID: 38356645 PMCID: PMC10864509 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1210939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Crohn's disease (CD), one of the main phenotypes of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract. It can impact the function of gastrointestinal secretions, as well as increasing the intestinal permeability leading to an aberrant immunological response and subsequent intestinal inflammation. Studies have reported anatomical and functional brain changes in Crohn's Disease patients (CDs), possibly due to increased inflammatory markers and microglial cells that play key roles in communicating between the brain, gut, and systemic immune system. To date, no studies have demonstrated similarities between morphological brain changes seen in IBD and brain morphometry observed in older healthy controls.. Methods For the present study, twelve young CDs in remission (M = 26.08 years, SD = 4.9 years, 7 male) were recruited from an IBD Clinic. Data from 12 young age-matched healthy controls (HCs) (24.5 years, SD = 3.6 years, 8 male) and 12 older HCs (59 years, SD = 8 years, 8 male), previously collected for a different study under a similar MR protocol, were analyzed as controls. T1 weighted images and structural image processing techniques were used to extract surface-based brain measures, to test our hypothesis that young CDs have different brain surface morphometry than their age-matched young HCs and furthermore, appear more similar to older HCs. The phonemic verbal fluency (VF) task (the Controlled Oral Word Association Test, COWAT) (Benton, 1976) was administered to test verbal cognitive ability and executive control. Results/Discussion On the whole, CDs had more brain regions with differences in brain morphometry measures when compared to the young HCs as compared to the old HCs, suggesting that CD has an effect on the brain that makes it appear more similar to old HCs. Additionally, our study demonstrates this atypical brain morphometry is associated with function on a cognitive task. These results suggest that even younger CDs may be showing some evidence of structural brain changes that demonstrate increased resemblance to older HC brains rather than their similarly aged healthy counterparts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Yeske
- School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Jiancheng Hou
- Center for Cross-Straits Cultural Development, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou City, Fujian, China
- Department of Radiology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Daniel Y. Chu
- School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Department of Radiology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Neuroscience Training Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Nagesh Adluru
- Department of Radiology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- The Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Veena A. Nair
- Department of Radiology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Poonam Beniwal-Patel
- Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Sumona Saha
- Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin- Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Vivek Prabhakaran
- School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Department of Radiology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Neuroscience Training Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Department of Psychology and Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
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Persson K, Boeg Thomsen D, Fyrberg Å, Castor C, Aasved Hjort M, Andreozzi B, Grillner P, Kjær Grønbæk J, Jakus J, Juhler M, Mallucci C, Mathiasen R, Molinari E, Pizer B, Sehested A, Troks-Berzinskiene A, van Baarsen K, Tiberg I. Preoperative word-finding difficulties in children with posterior fossa tumours: a European cross-sectional study. Childs Nerv Syst 2024; 40:87-97. [PMID: 37682305 PMCID: PMC10761395 DOI: 10.1007/s00381-023-06119-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Posterior fossa tumour surgery in children entails a high risk for severe speech and language impairments, but few studies have investigated the effect of the tumour on language prior to surgery. The current crosslinguistic study addresses this gap. We investigated the prevalence of preoperative word-finding difficulties, examined associations with medical and demographic characteristics, and analysed lexical errors. METHODS We included 148 children aged 5-17 years with a posterior fossa tumour. Word-finding ability was assessed by means of a picture-naming test, Wordrace, and difficulties in accuracy and speed were identified by cut-off values. A norm-based subanalysis evaluated performance in a Swedish subsample. We compared the demographic and medical characteristics of children with slow, inaccurate, or combined slow and inaccurate word finding to the characteristics of children without word-finding difficulties and conducted a lexical error analysis. RESULTS Thirty-seven percent (n = 55) presented with slow word finding, 24% (n = 35) with inaccurate word finding, and 16% (n = 23) with both slow and inaccurate word finding. Children with posterior fossa tumours were twice as slow as children in the norming sample. Right-hemisphere and brainstem location posed a higher risk for preoperative word-finding difficulties, relative to left-hemisphere location, and difficulties were more prevalent in boys than in girls. The most frequent errors were lack of response and semantically related sideordinated words. CONCLUSION Word-finding difficulties are frequent in children with posterior fossa tumours, especially in boys and in children with right-hemisphere and brainstem tumours. Errors resemble those observed in typical development and children with word-finding difficulties.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Persson
- Department of Health Sciences, Lund University, Box 117, 221 00, Lund, Sweden.
| | - D Boeg Thomsen
- Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics, University of Copenhagen, Emil Holms Kanal 2, 2300, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Neurosurgery, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100, Copenhagen E, Denmark
| | - Å Fyrberg
- Department of Speech and Language Pathology, University of Gothenburg, Medicinaregatan 11, 405 30, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - C Castor
- Department of Health Sciences, Lund University, Box 117, 221 00, Lund, Sweden
| | - M Aasved Hjort
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, St Olavs Hospital, Postboks 3250 Torgarden, 7006, Trondheim, Norway
| | - B Andreozzi
- Department of Hematology/Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - P Grillner
- Pediatric Oncology Unit, Astrid Lindgren's Children's Hospital, Karolinskavägen 6, 171 76, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - J Kjær Grønbæk
- Department of Neurosurgery, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100, Copenhagen E, Denmark
- Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100, Copenhagen E, Denmark
| | - J Jakus
- WOW Speech Studio, Üllői út 189, Budapest, 1091, Hungary
| | - M Juhler
- Department of Neurosurgery, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100, Copenhagen E, Denmark
- Department of Neurosurgery, Aarhus University Hospital, Palle Juul-Jensens, Boulevard 99, 8200, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - C Mallucci
- Department of Neurosurgery, Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust, E. Prescot Road, Liverpool, L14 5AB, UK
| | - R Mathiasen
- Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100, Copenhagen E, Denmark
| | - E Molinari
- University of Edinburgh, Old College, South Bridge, Edinburgh, EH8 9YL, UK
- Department of Neurology, The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, University of Glasgow, University Avenue, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
| | - B Pizer
- University of Liverpool, Brownlow Hill, Liverpool, L69 3BX, UK
| | - A Sehested
- Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100, Copenhagen E, Denmark
| | - A Troks-Berzinskiene
- Department of Pediatrics, Lithuanian, University of Health Science, Mickeviciaus 9, 44307, Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - K van Baarsen
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Heidelberglaan 25, 3584 CS, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - I Tiberg
- Department of Health Sciences, Lund University, Box 117, 221 00, Lund, Sweden
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Gonzalez-Recober C, Nevler N, Shellikeri S, Cousins KAQ, Rhodes E, Liberman M, Grossman M, Irwin D, Cho S. Comparison of category and letter fluency tasks through automated analysis. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1212793. [PMID: 37901072 PMCID: PMC10600440 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1212793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Category and letter fluency tasks are commonly used neuropsychological tasks to evaluate lexical retrieval. Methods This study used validated automated methods, which allow for more expansive investigation, to analyze speech production of both category ("Animal") and letter ("F") fluency tasks produced by healthy participants (n = 36) on an online platform. Recordings were transcribed and analyzed through automated pipelines, which utilized natural language processing and automatic acoustic processing tools. Automated pipelines calculated overall performance scores, mean inter-word response time, and word start time; errors were excluded from analysis. Each word was rated for age of acquisition (AoA), ambiguity, concreteness, frequency, familiarity, word length, word duration, and phonetic and semantic distance from its previous word. Results Participants produced significantly more words on the category fluency task relative to the letter fluency task (p < 0.001), which is in line with previous studies. Wilcoxon tests also showed tasks differed on several mean speech measures of words, and category fluency was associated with lower mean AoA (p<0.001), lower frequency (p < 0.001), lower semantic ambiguity (p < 0.001), lower semantic distance (p < 0.001), lower mean inter-word RT (p = 0.03), higher concreteness (p < 0.001), and higher familiarity (p = 0.02), compared to letter fluency. ANOVAs significant interactions for fluency task on total score and lexical measures showed that lower category fluency scores were significantly related to lower AoA and higher prevalence, and this was not observed for letter fluency scores. Finally, word-characteristics changed over time and significant interactions were noted between the tasks, including word familiarity (p = 0.019), semantic ambiguity (p = 0.002), semantic distance (p=0.001), and word duration (p<0.001). Discussion These findings showed that certain lexical measures such as AoA, word familiarity, and semantic ambiguity were important for understanding how these tasks differ. Additionally, it found that acoustic measures such as inter-word RT and word duration are also imperative to analyze when comparing the two tasks. By implementing these automated techniques, which are reproducible and scalable, to analyze fluency tasks we were able to quickly detect these differences. In future clinical settings, we expect these methods to expand our knowledge on speech feature differences that impact not only total scores, but many other speech measures among clinical populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Gonzalez-Recober
- Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Naomi Nevler
- Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Sanjana Shellikeri
- Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Katheryn A. Q. Cousins
- Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Emma Rhodes
- Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Mark Liberman
- Linguistic Data Consortium, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Murray Grossman
- Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - David Irwin
- Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Sunghye Cho
- Linguistic Data Consortium, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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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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Maitreyee R, Varley R, Cowell PE. Verbal ability in postmenopausal women in relation to age, cognitive and reproductive factors. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2023; 238:103963. [PMID: 37364371 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2023.103963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Word-finding difficulties have been associated with age and, in women, lowered sex hormone levels following menopause. However, there is limited understanding of the ways that specific aspects of word-finding are shaped by women's age, reproductive histories, and background factors such as education. The current study investigated the effects of age, cognitive and reproductive factors on word-finding abilities in 53 healthy postmenopausal women aged 48-79. A questionnaire was used to gather demographic information and reproductive history. A battery of verbal fluency, continuous series, and naming tasks was designed to assess word-finding across different sensory modalities and cognitive demands. Category and letter fluency were quantified as total number of correct words produced on each task. For continuous series, switch rates and switch costs were computed. For the naming tasks, accuracy and latency measures were used. There were three key findings. Firstly, there was a consistent positive association between education and all word-finding measures, i.e., verbal fluency, continuous series, and naming. Secondly, age-related declines were seen on tasks heavily dependent on working memory such as the continuous series task. Thirdly, reproductive factors across the lifespan such as age at menarche and reproductive years showed subtle effects on naming abilities, but not on verbal fluency or continuous series. The results highlight that word-finding abilities in healthy postmenopausal women are shaped by factors associated with their early years (education, age at menarche) and later adult life (age, reproductive years). The study also distinguished between the more global effects of education, and the more task-specific associations with age and reproductive variables, on verbal task performance after menopause.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramya Maitreyee
- Division of Human Communication Sciences, Health Sciences School, The University of Sheffield, 362 Mushroom Lane, Sheffield S10 2TS, United Kingdom.
| | - Rosemary Varley
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, UCL, 313, Chandler House, 2 Wakefield Street, London WC1N 1PF, United Kingdom.
| | - Patricia E Cowell
- Division of Human Communication Sciences, Health Sciences School, The University of Sheffield, 362 Mushroom Lane, Sheffield S10 2TS, United Kingdom.
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Olmos-Villaseñor R, Sepulveda-Silva C, Julio-Ramos T, Fuentes-Lopez E, Toloza-Ramirez D, Santibañez RA, Copland DA, Mendez-Orellana C. Phonological and Semantic Fluency in Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Alzheimers Dis 2023; 95:1-12. [PMID: 37482994 PMCID: PMC10578227 DOI: 10.3233/jad-221272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Semantic and Phonological fluency (SF and PF) are routinely evaluated in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). There are disagreements in the literature regarding which fluency task is more affected while developing AD. Most studies focus on SF assessment, given its connection with the temporoparietal amnesic system. PF is less reported, it is related to working memory, which is also impaired in probable and diagnosed AD. Differentiating between performance on these tasks might be informative in early AD diagnosis, providing an accurate linguistic profile. OBJECTIVE Compare SF and PF performance in healthy volunteers, volunteers with probable AD, and patients with AD diagnosis, considering the heterogeneity of age, gender, and educational level variables. METHODS A total of 8 studies were included for meta-analysis, reaching a sample size of 1,270 individuals (568 patients diagnosed with AD, 340 with probable AD diagnosis, and 362 healthy volunteers). RESULTS The three groups consistently performed better on SF than PF. When progressing to a diagnosis of AD, we observed a significant difference in SF and PF performance across our 3 groups of interest (p = 0.04). The age variable explained a proportion of this difference in task performance across the groups, and as age increases, both tasks equally worsen. CONCLUSION The performance of SF and PF might play a differential role in early AD diagnosis. These tasks rely on partially different neural bases of language processing. They are thus worth exploring independently in diagnosing normal aging and its transition to pathological stages, including probable and diagnosed AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rocio Olmos-Villaseñor
- Speech and Language Therapy School, Health Sciences Department, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Laboratory of Language Rehabilitation and Stimulation (LARES), Speech and Language Therapy School, Health Sciences Department, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Consuelo Sepulveda-Silva
- Speech and Language Therapy School, Health Sciences Department, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Laboratory of Language Rehabilitation and Stimulation (LARES), Speech and Language Therapy School, Health Sciences Department, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Teresa Julio-Ramos
- Laboratory of Language Rehabilitation and Stimulation (LARES), Speech and Language Therapy School, Health Sciences Department, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Eduardo Fuentes-Lopez
- Speech and Language Therapy School, Health Sciences Department, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - David Toloza-Ramirez
- Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, School of Speech Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, Chile
| | - Rodrigo A. Santibañez
- Neurology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Neurology Service, Complejo Asistencial Doctor Sótero del Río, Santiago, Chile
| | - David A. Copland
- Queensland Aphasia Research Centre, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Carolina Mendez-Orellana
- Speech and Language Therapy School, Health Sciences Department, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Laboratory of Language Rehabilitation and Stimulation (LARES), Speech and Language Therapy School, Health Sciences Department, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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11
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Alhourani A, Wylie SA, Summers JE, Phibbs FT, Bradley EB, Neimat JS, Van Wouwe NC. Developing Predictor Models of Postoperative Verbal Fluency After Deep Brain Stimulation Using Preoperative Neuropsychological Assessment. Neurosurgery 2022; 91:256-262. [PMID: 35506958 PMCID: PMC9514727 DOI: 10.1227/neu.0000000000001964] [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: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Parkinson disease provides significant improvement of motor symptoms but can also produce neurocognitive side effects. A decline in verbal fluency (VF) is among the most frequently reported side effects. Preoperative factors that could predict VF decline have yet to be identified. OBJECTIVE To develop predictive models of DBS postoperative VF decline using a machine learning approach. METHODS We used a prospective database of patients who underwent neuropsychological and VF assessment before both subthalamic nucleus (n = 47, bilateral = 44) and globus pallidus interna (n = 43, bilateral = 39) DBS. We used a neurobehavioral rating profile as features for modeling postoperative VF. We constructed separate models for action, semantic, and letter VF. We used a leave-one-out scheme to test the accuracy of the predictive models using median absolute error and correlation with actual postoperative scores. RESULTS The predictive models were able to predict the 3 types of VF with high accuracy ranging from a median absolute error of 0.92 to 1.36. Across all three models, higher preoperative fluency, digit span, education, and Mini-Mental State Examination were predictive of higher postoperative fluency scores. By contrast, higher frontal system deficits, age, Questionnaire for Impulsive-Compulsive Disorders in Parkinson's disease scored by the patient, disease duration, and Behavioral Inhibition/Behavioral Activation Scale scores were predictive of lower postoperative fluency scores. CONCLUSION Postoperative VF can be accurately predicted using preoperative neurobehavioral rating scores above and beyond preoperative VF score and relies on performance over different aspects of executive function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Alhourani
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
| | - Scott A. Wylie
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
| | - Jessica E. Summers
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Fenna T. Phibbs
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Elise B. Bradley
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Joseph S. Neimat
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
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12
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Nazmus Sakib M, Best JR, Ramezan R, Thompson ME, Hall PA. Bidirectional Associations Between Adiposity and Cognitive Function: A Prospective Analysis of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA). J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2022; 78:314-325. [PMID: 35640256 PMCID: PMC9951058 DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glac115] [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: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Theoretical perspectives suggest that adiposity and cognitive function may be bidirectionally associated, but this has not been examined in a large-scale data set. The current investigation aims to fill this gap using a large, representative sample of middle-aged and older adults. METHODS Using data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (N = 25 854), the bidirectional hypothesis was examined with 3 indicators of cognitive function (ie, executive function, processing speed, and verbal fluency) and adiposity (ie, waist circumference [WC], body mass index [BMI], and total fat mass). We used multivariate multivariable regression and structural equation modeling to assess the prospective associations between adiposity and cognitive indicators. RESULTS Analyses revealed that higher baseline WC was associated with higher Stroop interference at follow-up for both middle-aged (standardized estimate, β = 0.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.06, 0.10) and older adults (β = 0.07, 95% CI 0.04, 0.09). Similarly, higher baseline Stroop interference was also associated with higher follow-up WC in middle-aged (β = 0.08, 95% CI 0.06, 0.10) and older adults (β = 0.03, 95% CI 0.01, 0.06). Effects involving semantic fluency and processing speed were less consistent. The earlier effects were similar to those observed using other adiposity indicators (eg, BMI and total fat mass) and were robust to adjustment for demographics and other cofounders, and when using latent variable modeling of the adiposity variable. CONCLUSION Evidence for a bidirectional relationship between adiposity and cognitive function exists, though the associations are most reliable for executive function and primarily evident at midlife.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Nazmus Sakib
- School of Public Health Sciences, Faculty of Health, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
| | - John R Best
- Gerontology Research Centre, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Reza Ramezan
- Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mary E Thompson
- Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
| | - Peter A Hall
- Address correspondence to: Peter A. Hall, PhD, School of Public Health Sciences, Faculty of Health, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, N2L 3G1. E-mail:
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13
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Lindinger NM, Jacobson SW, Davidson L, Conradie S, Dodge NC, Molteno CD, Meintjes EM, Gaab N, Jacobson JL. Reading impairment in adolescents with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. SCIENTIFIC STUDIES OF READING : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF READING 2022; 26:469-488. [PMID: 36388467 PMCID: PMC9642985 DOI: 10.1080/10888438.2022.2054717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE To date, research on effects of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) has focused on a broad range of cognitive impairments, but relatively few studies have examined effects of PAE on development of reading skills. Although PAE has been linked to poorer reading comprehension, it remains unclear whether this impairment is attributable to deficits in phonological processing, word reading, oral language skills, and/or executive functioning. METHODS A comprehensive reading battery was administered to 10 adolescents with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS); 16 with partial FAS; 30 nonsyndromal heavily-exposed; 49 controls. RESULTS PAE was related to poorer reading comprehension but not to single word reading or phonological processing, suggesting that the mechanics of reading are intact in adolescents with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders at this age. PAE-related impairment in reading comprehension was mediated, in part, by deficits in mastery of oral language skills, including vocabulary, language structure, and verbal fluency. CONCLUSIONS These results are consistent with research showing that reading comprehension in adolescence relies increasingly on linguistic comprehension abilities, especially once word reading becomes automatic and text complexity increases. Our findings suggest that reading-impaired adolescents with PAE will benefit from intervention programs targeting vocabulary knowledge, language structure, verbal fluency, and reading comprehension skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadine M. Lindinger
- Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Sandra W. Jacobson
- Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Landi Davidson
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Simone Conradie
- Department of General Linguistics, Faculty of Arts and Social Science, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
| | - Neil C. Dodge
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Christopher D. Molteno
- Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Ernesta M. Meintjes
- Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Nadine Gaab
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Joseph L. Jacobson
- Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
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14
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Medimorec S, Milin P, Divjak D. Frogs, apples, and sand: Effects of cognitive and demographic factors on letter fluency performance. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-020-00713-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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15
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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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16
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Magnetoencephalography resting-state correlates of executive and language components of verbal fluency. Sci Rep 2022; 12:476. [PMID: 35013361 PMCID: PMC8748602 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-03829-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Verbal fluency (VF) is a heterogeneous cognitive function that requires executive as well as language abilities. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the specificity of the resting state MEG correlates of the executive and language components. To this end, we administered a VF test, another verbal test (Vocabulary), and another executive test (Trail Making Test), and we recorded 5-min eyes-open resting-state MEG data in 28 healthy participants. We used source-reconstructed spectral power estimates to compute correlation/anticorrelation MEG clusters with the performance at each test, as well as with the advantage in performance between tests, across individuals using cluster-level statistics in the standard frequency bands. By obtaining conjunction clusters between verbal fluency scores and factor loading obtained for verbal fluency and each of the two other tests, we showed a core of slow clusters (delta to beta) localized in the right hemisphere, in adjacent parts of the premotor, pre-central and post-central cortex in the mid-lateral regions related to executive monitoring. We also found slow parietal clusters bilaterally and a cluster in the gamma 2 and 3 bands in the left inferior frontal gyrus likely associated with phonological processing involved in verbal fluency.
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17
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Yeske B, Hou J, Adluru N, Nair VA, Prabhakaran V. Differences in Diffusion Tensor Imaging White Matter Integrity Related to Verbal Fluency Between Young and Old Adults. Front Aging Neurosci 2021; 13:750621. [PMID: 34880746 PMCID: PMC8647802 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.750621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Throughout adulthood, the brain undergoes an array of structural and functional changes during the typical aging process. These changes involve decreased brain volume, reduced synaptic density, and alterations in white matter (WM). Although there have been some previous neuroimaging studies that have measured the ability of adult language production and its correlations to brain function, structural gray matter volume, and functional differences between young and old adults, the structural role of WM in adult language production in individuals across the life span remains to be thoroughly elucidated. This study selected 38 young adults and 35 old adults for diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and performed the Controlled Oral Word Association Test to assess verbal fluency (VF). Tract-Based Spatial Statistics were employed to evaluate the voxel-based group differences of diffusion metrics for the values of fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), radial diffusivity (RD), and local diffusion homogeneity (LDH) in 12 WM regions of interest associated with language production. To investigate group differences on each DTI metric, an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) controlling for sex and education level was performed, and the statistical threshold was considered at p < 0.00083 (0.05/60 labels) after Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. Significant differences in DTI metrics identified in the ANCOVA were used to perform correlation analyses with VF scores. Compared to the old adults, the young adults had significantly (1) increased FA values on the bilateral anterior corona radiata (ACR); (2) decreased MD values on the right ACR, but increased MD on the left uncinate fasciculus (UF); and (3) decreased RD on the bilateral ACR. There were no significant differences between the groups for AD or LDH. Moreover, the old adults had only a significant correlation between the VF score and the MD on the left UF. There were no significant correlations between VF score and DTI metrics in the young adults. This study adds to the growing body of research that WM areas involved in language production are sensitive to aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Yeske
- Department of Radiology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Jiancheng Hou
- Department of Radiology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Center for Cross-Strait Cultural Development, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Nagesh Adluru
- Department of Radiology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Veena A. Nair
- Department of Radiology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Vivek Prabhakaran
- Department of Radiology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Department of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Neuroscience Training Program, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
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18
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Cho S, Nevler N, Parjane N, Cieri C, Liberman M, Grossman M, Cousins KAQ. Automated Analysis of Digitized Letter Fluency Data. Front Psychol 2021; 12:654214. [PMID: 34393894 PMCID: PMC8359864 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.654214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The letter-guided naming fluency task is a measure of an individual's executive function and working memory. This study employed a novel, automated, quantifiable, and reproducible method to investigate how language characteristics of words produced during a fluency task are related to fluency performance, inter-word response time (RT), and over task duration using digitized F-letter-guided fluency recordings produced by 76 young healthy participants. Our automated algorithm counted the number of correct responses from the transcripts of the F-letter fluency data, and individual words were rated for concreteness, ambiguity, frequency, familiarity, and age of acquisition (AoA). Using a forced aligner, the transcripts were automatically aligned with the corresponding audio recordings. We measured inter-word RT, word duration, and word start time from the forced alignments. Articulation rate was also computed. Phonetic and semantic distances between two consecutive F-letter words were measured. We found that total F-letter score was significantly correlated with the mean values of word frequency, familiarity, AoA, word duration, phonetic similarity, and articulation rate; total score was also correlated with an individual's standard deviation of AoA, familiarity, and phonetic similarity. RT was negatively correlated with frequency and ambiguity of F-letter words and was positively correlated with AoA, number of phonemes, and phonetic and semantic distances. Lastly, the frequency, ambiguity, AoA, number of phonemes, and semantic distance of words produced significantly changed over time during the task. The method employed in this paper demonstrates the successful implementation of our automated language processing pipelines in a standardized neuropsychological task. This novel approach captures subtle and rich language characteristics during test performance that enhance informativeness and cannot be extracted manually without massive effort. This work will serve as the reference for letter-guided category fluency production similarly acquired in neurodegenerative patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunghye Cho
- Linguistic Data Consortium, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Naomi Nevler
- Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Natalia Parjane
- Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Christopher Cieri
- Linguistic Data Consortium, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Mark Liberman
- Linguistic Data Consortium, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Murray Grossman
- Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Katheryn A Q Cousins
- Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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19
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Cognitive Reserve, Executive Function, and Memory in Parkinson's Disease. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11080992. [PMID: 34439609 PMCID: PMC8391924 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11080992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive impairment is acknowledged as a feature of Parkinson’s disease (PD), and the most common cognitive declines are in executive function (EF) and memory. Cognitive reserve (CR) may offer some protection against cognitive dysfunction in PD. The present study used two proxies of CR (years of education, premorbid IQ) to examine the relationship between CR and (i) EF (ii) memory in a large PD sample (n = 334). Two aspects of EF were examined, including verbal fluency and planning skills. Two aspects of verbal memory were examined, including immediate recall and delayed recall. For EF, both CR proxies significantly predicted verbal fluency, but only years of education predicted planning skills. Years of education significantly predicted immediate recall, but premorbid IQ did not. Neither CR proxy predicted delayed recall. These findings suggest that CR, in particular years of education, may contribute to EF and memory function in those with PD. A key finding of this study is the varying contribution of CR proxies to different aspects of the same cognitive domain. The findings indicate that using only one proxy has the potential to be misleading and suggest that when testing the relationship between CR and cognition, studies should include tasks that measure different aspects of the cognitive domain(s) of interest.
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20
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Fong MCM, Law TST, Ma MKH, Hui NY, Wang WS. Can inhibition deficit hypothesis account for age-related differences in semantic fluency? Converging evidence from Stroop color and word test and an ERP flanker task. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2021; 218:104952. [PMID: 33934024 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2021.104952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2020] [Revised: 02/14/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The inhibition deficit hypothesis (IDH) proposed that individual differences in inhibitory control is an underlying reason for age-related language decline. This study examined whether the hypothesis holds within the domain of lexico-semantic retrieval. Sixty-six older adults aged 60-79 were tested in a semantic fluency task comprising 16 categories; each response was classified as automatic or controlled. Also, Stroop color and word test and an ERP flanker task were employed to yield both behavioral and neural measures of inhibitory control. Mixed-effects modelling revealed that the number of controlled (but not automatic) responses was negatively associated with age. This interaction could be partially accounted for by the behavioral Stroop inhibition score and two neural measures from the ERP flanker task (P2 and Pc amplitudes). These results not only provide converging evidence supporting the IDH, but also demonstrate the involvement of specific inhibitory control components, including attentional control and performance monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manson Cheuk-Man Fong
- Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience, Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong.
| | - Tammy Sheung-Ting Law
- Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience, Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
| | - Matthew King-Hang Ma
- Department of Electronic Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Nga Yan Hui
- Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience, Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
| | - William Shiyuan Wang
- Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience, Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong; Department of Electronic Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
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21
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ÖZDEMİR Ş, TUNÇER A. Verbal Fluency: An Investigation of Time Variable among Elderly People. CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES 2021. [DOI: 10.33808/clinexphealthsci.727477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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22
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Ma M, Yahirun J, Saenz J, Sheehan C. Offspring Educational Attainment and Older Parents' Cognition in Mexico. Demography 2021; 58:75-109. [PMID: 33612872 PMCID: PMC7894606 DOI: 10.1215/00703370-8931725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Population-level disparities in later-life cognitive health point to the importance of family resources. Although the bulk of prior work establishes the directional flow of resources from parents to offspring, the "linked lives" perspective raises the question of how offspring resources could affect parental health as well. This paper examines whether adult children's education influences older parents' (aged 50+) cognitive health in Mexico, where schooling reforms have contributed to significant gains in the educational achievements of recent birth cohorts. Harnessing a change in compulsory school laws and applying an instrumental variables approach, we found that each year of offspring schooling was associated with higher overall cognition among parents, but was less predictive across different cognitive functioning domains. More offspring schooling improved parents' cognitive abilities in verbal learning, verbal fluency, and orientation, but not in visual scanning, visuo-spatial ability, or visual memory. The beneficial effects of offspring schooling on those cognitive domains are more salient for mothers compared to fathers, suggesting potential gendered effects in the influence of offspring schooling. The results remained robust to controls for parent-child contact and geographic proximity, suggesting other avenues through which offspring education could affect parental health and a pathway for future research. Our findings contribute to growing research which stresses the causal influence of familial educational attainment on population health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingming Ma
- Institute for Advanced Research, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, 111 Wuchuan Road, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Jenjira Yahirun
- Department of Sociology, Bowling Green State University, 242 Williams Hall, Bowling Green, OH 43404, USA
| | - Joseph Saenz
- Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, 3715 McClintock Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Connor Sheehan
- T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University, P.O. Box 873701, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
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23
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Fong MCM, Hui NY, Fung ESW, Ma MKH, Law TST, Wang X, Wang WS. Which cognitive functions subserve clustering and switching in category fluency? Generalisations from an extended set of semantic categories using linear mixed-effects modelling. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2020; 73:2132-2147. [PMID: 32972306 DOI: 10.1177/1747021820957135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Clustering and switching are hypothesised to reflect the automatic and controlled components in category fluency, respectively, but how they are associated with cognitive functions has not been fully elucidated, due to several uncertainties. (1) The conventional scoring method that segregates responses by semantic categories could not optimally dissociate the automatic and controlled components. (2) The temporal structure of individual responses, as characterised by mean retrieval time (MRT) and mean switching time (MST), has seldom been analysed alongside the more well-studied variables, cluster size (CS) and number of switches (NS). (3) Most studies examined only one to a few semantic categories, raising concerns of generalisability. This study built upon a distance-based automatic clustering procedure, referred to as temporal-semantic distance procedure, to thoroughly characterise the category fluency performance. Linear mixed-effects (LME) modelling was applied to re-examine the differential associations of clustering and switching with cognitive functions with a sample of 80 university students. Our results revealed that although lexical retrieval speed (LRS) is clearly the determining factor for effective clustering and switching, matrix reasoning and processing speed also have significant roles to play, possibly in the processes of identifying and validating the semantic relationships. Interestingly, total fluency score was accurately predicted by the four clustering/switching indices alone; including the cognitive variables did not significantly improve the prediction. These findings underline the importance of the clustering and switching indices in explaining the category fluency performance and the cognitive demands in category fluency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manson Cheuk-Man Fong
- Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience, Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
| | - Nga Yan Hui
- Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience, Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
| | - Edith Sze-Wan Fung
- Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience, Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
| | - Matthew King-Hang Ma
- Department of Electronic Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Tammy Sheung-Ting Law
- Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience, Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
| | - Xiaoyang Wang
- Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience, Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
| | - William Shiyuan Wang
- Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience, Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong.,Department of Electronic Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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24
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Rofes A, de Aguiar V, Jonkers R, Oh SJ, DeDe G, Sung JE. What Drives Task Performance During Animal Fluency in People With Alzheimer's Disease? Front Psychol 2020; 11:1485. [PMID: 32774312 PMCID: PMC7388773 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Animal fluency is a widely used task to assess people with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other neurological disorders. The mechanisms that drive performance in this task are argued to rely on language and executive functions. However, there is little information regarding what specific aspects of these cognitive processes drive performance on this task. Objective To understand which aspects of language (i.e., semantics, phonological output lexicon, phonological assembly) and executive function (i.e., mental set shifting; information updating and monitoring; inhibition of possible responses) are involved in the performance of animal fluency in people with AD. Methods Animal fluency data from 58 people with probable AD from the DementiaBank Pittsburgh Corpus were analyzed. Number of clusters and switches were measured and nine word properties (e.g., frequency, familiarity) for each of the correct words (i.e., each word counting toward the total score, disregarding non-animals and repetitions) were determined. Random forests were used to understand which variables predicted the total number of correct words, and conditional inference trees were used to search for interactions between the variables. Finally, Wilcoxon tests were implemented to cross-validate the results, by comparing the performance of participants with scores below the norm in animal fluency against participants with scores within the norm based on a large normative sample. Results Switches and age of acquisition emerged as the most important variables to predict total number of correct words in animal fluency in people with AD. Cross-validating the results, people with AD whose animal fluency scores fell below the norm produced fewer switches and words with lower age of acquisition than people with AD with scores in the normal range. Conclusion The results indicate that people with AD rely on executive functioning (information updating and monitoring) and language (phonological output lexicon, not necessarily semantics) to produce words on animal fluency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrià Rofes
- Center for Language and Cognition Groningen (CLCG), University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Vânia de Aguiar
- Center for Language and Cognition Groningen (CLCG), University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Roel Jonkers
- Center for Language and Cognition Groningen (CLCG), University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Se Jin Oh
- Department of Communication Disorders, EWHA Womans University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Gayle DeDe
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Jee Eun Sung
- Department of Communication Disorders, EWHA Womans University, Seoul, South Korea
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25
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Amunts J, Camilleri JA, Eickhoff SB, Heim S, Weis S. Executive functions predict verbal fluency scores in healthy participants. Sci Rep 2020; 10:11141. [PMID: 32636406 PMCID: PMC7341845 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-65525-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2020] [Accepted: 05/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
While there is a clear link between impairments of executive functions (EFs), i.e. cognitive control mechanisms that facilitate goal-directed behavior, and speech problems, it is so far unclear exactly which of the complex subdomains of EFs most strongly contribute to speech performance, as measured by verbal fluency (VF) tasks. Furthermore, the impact of intra-individual variability is largely unknown. This study on healthy participants (n = 235) shows that the use of a relevance vector machine approach allows for the prediction of VF performance from EF scores. Based on a comprehensive set of EF scores, results identified cognitive flexibility and inhibition as well as processing speed as strongest predictors for VF performance, but also highlighted a modulatory influence of fluctuating hormone levels. These findings demonstrate that speech production performance is strongly linked to specific EF subdomains, but they also suggest that inter-individual differences should be taken into account.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Amunts
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-7 Brain and Behaviour), Research Center Jülich, Jülich, Germany.
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Julia A Camilleri
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-7 Brain and Behaviour), Research Center Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Simon B Eickhoff
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-7 Brain and Behaviour), Research Center Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Stefan Heim
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1 Structural and functional organization of the brain), Research Center Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy und Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Susanne Weis
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-7 Brain and Behaviour), Research Center Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
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26
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Hatta T, Hotta C, Kato K, Hatta T, Hatta J, Fujiwara K, Iwahara A. Dissociation in Age-Related Developmental Trajectories Between Phonetic Fluency and Semantic Fluency Tests: Analysis of Longitudinal Data From the Yakumo Study. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.5406/amerjpsyc.133.2.0197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Possible age-related differences in Phonemic Fluency Test (PFT) and Semantic Fluency Test (SFT) performance were examined by using longitudinal data of healthy older adults. The performance trajectories of 81 older adults in the 2 tests were analyzed for 11 years, from 65 to 75 years of age, via individually calculated linear regression coefficients. The results indicated that the PFT and SFT performance showed an age-related decline. However, the declining slope of the SFT was steeper than that of the PFT performance. These findings correspond with those of previous cross-sectional studies and suggest a future need to examine neurobiological substrates underlying the two domains of verbal fluency abilities.
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27
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Rodríguez-Aranda C, Castro-Chavira SA, Espenes R, Barrios FA, Waterloo K, Vangberg TR. The Role of Moderating Variables on BOLD fMRI Response During Semantic Verbal Fluency and Finger Tapping in Active and Educated Healthy Seniors. Front Hum Neurosci 2020; 14:203. [PMID: 32581748 PMCID: PMC7290010 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.00203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2019] [Accepted: 05/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Semantic verbal fluency is among the most employed tasks in cognitive aging research and substantial work is devoted to understanding the underlying mechanisms behind age-related differences at the neural and behavioral levels. The present investigation aimed to evaluate the role of moderating variables, such as age, sex, MMSE, and proxies of cognitive reserve (CR) on the hemodynamic response evoked by semantic verbal fluency in healthy young and healthy older adults. So far, no study has been conducted to this end. To elucidate the exclusive effect of the mentioned variables on brain activation during semantic fluency, finger tapping was included as a control task. Results showed that disregarding adjustments for age, older adults displayed important parietal activations during semantic fluency as well as during finger-tapping. Specifically, the anterior intra-parietal sulcus (IPS) and left inferior parietal lobule (IPL) were areas activated in both tasks in the older group. Younger adults, only displayed parietal activations related to age and sex when these demographics were employed as predictors. Concerning proxies of CR in semantic fluency, the only vocabulary was an important moderator in both age groups. Higher vocabulary scores were associated with lesser activation in occipital areas. Education did not show significant correlations with brain activity during semantic fluency in any of the groups. However, both CR proxies were significantly correlated to brain activations of older adults during finger tapping. Specifically, vocabulary was associated with frontal regions, while education correlated with parietal lobe and cingulate gyrus. Finally, the effects of MMSE were mostly observed on brain activation of older adults in both tasks. These findings demonstrate that the effects of moderating variables on shaping brain activation are intricate and not exclusive of complex verbal tasks. Thus, before adjusting for “nuisance variables,” their importance needs to be established. This is especially true for samples including older adults for whom a motor task may be a demanding operation due to normal age-related processes of dedifferentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Rodríguez-Aranda
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Susana A Castro-Chavira
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Ragna Espenes
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Fernando A Barrios
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Querétaro, Mexico
| | - Knut Waterloo
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.,Department of Neurology, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Torgil R Vangberg
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway.,Department of Clinical Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
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28
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Hou J, Dodd K, Nair VA, Rajan S, Beniwal-Patel P, Saha S, Prabhakaran V. Alterations in brain white matter microstructural properties in patients with Crohn's disease in remission. Sci Rep 2020; 10:2145. [PMID: 32034257 PMCID: PMC7005825 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-59098-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2019] [Accepted: 01/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Patients with inflammatory bowel disease have been shown to have abnormal brain morphometry or function, which are associated with psychological symptoms such as stress, depression or anxiety. The present work recruited 20 Crohn’s disease patients in remission (CDs) and 20 age-gender-handedness-education matched healthy controls (HCs) and compared their brain white matter microstructural properties using Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI). Additionally, we examined the correlations between the microstructural properties and cognition (verbal fluency language task, VF) and affect (anxiety) in both groups as well as disease duration in CDs. Results showed that CDs exhibited significant alterations in microstructural properties compared to HCs in various white matter tracts relevant to language function despite no significant difference in VF scores. Furthermore, CDs’ microstructural changes exhibited correlations with anxiety level and disease duration. These findings suggest that CD patients may experience changes in white matter microstructural properties which may be a biomarker of neuropsychiatric comorbidities of CD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiancheng Hou
- Department of Radiology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA
| | - Keith Dodd
- Department of Radiology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA
| | - Veena A Nair
- Department of Radiology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA
| | - Shruti Rajan
- Department of Radiology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA
| | - Poonam Beniwal-Patel
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, USA
| | - Sumona Saha
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA
| | - Vivek Prabhakaran
- Department of Radiology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA.
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29
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Marsh JE, Hansson P, Sörman DE, Ljungberg JK. Executive Processes Underpin the Bilingual Advantage on Phonemic Fluency: Evidence From Analyses of Switching and Clustering. Front Psychol 2019; 10:1355. [PMID: 31244740 PMCID: PMC6581746 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2018] [Accepted: 05/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Bilinguals often show a disadvantage in lexical access on verbal fluency tasks wherein the criteria require the production of words from semantic categories. However, the pattern is more heterogeneous for letter (phonemic) fluency wherein the task is to produce words beginning with a given letter. Here, bilinguals often outperform monolinguals. One explanation for this is that phonemic fluency, as compared with semantic fluency, is more greatly underpinned by executive processes and that bilinguals exhibit better performance on phonemic fluency due to better executive functions. In this study, we re-analyzed phonemic fluency data from the Betula study, scoring outputs according to two measures that purportedly reflect executive processes: clustering and switching. Consistent with the notion that bilinguals have superior executive processes and that these can be used to offset a bilingual disadvantage in verbal fluency, bilinguals (35-65 years at baseline) demonstrated greater switching and clustering throughout the 15-year study period.
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Affiliation(s)
- John E. Marsh
- Department of Environmental Psychology, University of Gävle, Gävle, Sweden
- School of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Jessica Körning Ljungberg
- Department of Psychology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Division of Human Work Science, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå, Sweden
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30
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Vonk JMJ, Rizvi B, Lao PJ, Budge M, Manly JJ, Mayeux R, Brickman AM. Letter and Category Fluency Performance Correlates with Distinct Patterns of Cortical Thickness in Older Adults. Cereb Cortex 2019; 29:2694-2700. [PMID: 29893804 PMCID: PMC6519688 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhy138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2018] [Revised: 04/09/2018] [Accepted: 05/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Verbal fluency tasks are generally thought to be mediated by frontal brain regions for letter fluency and temporal regions for category fluency. This idea, however, is primarily based on lesion studies and adapted versions of the fluency tasks in functional neuroimaging, without fundamental evidence from structural neuroimaging in healthy individuals. We investigated the cortical structural correlates of letter and category fluency, including overlapping and different regions, in 505 individuals who participated in a community-based study of healthy aging. The correlation between cortical thickness and verbal fluency in whole-brain analyses revealed distinct cortical signatures for letter fluency, primarily in frontal regions, and category fluency, in frontal and temporal-parietal regions. There was a dissociation in the left inferior frontal gyrus between letter and category fluency, with increased thickness in the posterior-dorsal versus anterior-ventral parts, respectively. These results distinguish the detailed anatomical correlates for verbal fluency within the coarse frontal-temporal distinction inferred from lesion studies and among the mixture of regions identified in functional neuroimaging. The evidence for the anatomical substrates of letter and category fluency, each recruiting slightly different language and cognitive processes, can serve both clinical applications as well as a deeper theoretical understanding of the organization of the cerebral cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jet M J Vonk
- Department of Neurology, Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neurology, Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neurology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Batool Rizvi
- Department of Neurology, Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neurology, Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neurology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Patrick J Lao
- Department of Neurology, Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neurology, Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neurology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mariana Budge
- Department of Neurology, Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neurology, Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neurology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jennifer J Manly
- Department of Neurology, Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neurology, Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neurology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Richard Mayeux
- Department of Neurology, Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neurology, Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neurology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Joseph P. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Adam M Brickman
- Department of Neurology, Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neurology, Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neurology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
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31
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Nair VA, Dodd K, Rajan S, Santhanubosu A, Beniwal-Patel P, Saha S, Prabhakaran V. A Verbal Fluency Task-Based Brain Activation fMRI Study in Patients with Crohn's Disease in Remission. J Neuroimaging 2019; 29:630-639. [PMID: 31134699 DOI: 10.1111/jon.12634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2019] [Revised: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 05/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE In this pilot study, we investigated functional brain activation changes in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) in remission compared to age and gender-matched healthy controls (HCs). METHODS Data from 20 patients with CD in remission (age range 19-63 years) and 20 HCs (matched in age and gender) were analyzed. Task functional MRI (fMRI) data were collected while participants performed a cognitive (phonemic verbal fluency) task in the scanner. All participants also performed the same task outside the scanner. RESULTS Task fMRI results showed greater bi-hemispheric activation in CD patients compared to controls. Because this pattern is commonly reported with normal aging, we performed further analyses to investigate fMRI responses in a subset of the younger CD patients (N = 12, age < = 35 years) compared to matched young HCs (age < = 35 years), and an older cohort of HCs (age > = 50 years). Results showed that task activation patterns were similar between young CD patients and older HCs, and that both groups differed significantly from younger HCs. Activation intensity in specific brain regions for patients was associated with disease duration. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that CD patients in remission may show accelerated signs of aging in terms of brain responses to a typical cognitive task. Future work with larger sample size will need to replicate these results as well as investigate the influence of factors, such as chronicity of the disease and medication effects on task-associated brain activation patterns in this patient population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veena A Nair
- Department of Radiology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
| | - Keith Dodd
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
| | - Shruti Rajan
- Department of Radiology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
| | - Anu Santhanubosu
- Department of Radiology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
| | - Poonam Beniwal-Patel
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
| | - Sumona Saha
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
| | - Vivek Prabhakaran
- Department of Radiology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
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32
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Methqal I, Marsolais Y, Wilson MA, Monchi O, Joanette Y. More expertise for a better perspective: Task and strategy-driven adaptive neurofunctional reorganization for word production in high-performing older adults. AGING NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITION 2018; 26:190-221. [PMID: 29334837 DOI: 10.1080/13825585.2017.1423021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The suggestion that neurofunctional reorganization may contribute to preserved language abilities is still emerging in aging studies. Some of these abilities, such as verbal fluency (VF), are not unitary but instead rely on different strategic processes that are differentially changed with age. Younger (n = 13) and older adults (n = 13) carried out an overt self-paced semantic and orthographic VF tasks within mixed fMRI design. Our results suggest that patterns of brain activation sustaining equivalent performances could be underpinned by different strategies facing brain changes during healthy aging. These main findings suggest that temporally mediated semantic clustering and frontally mediated orthographic switching were driven by evolutive neurofunctional resources in high-performing older adults. These age-related activation changes can appear to be compatible with the idea that unique neural patterns expressing distinctive cognitive strategies are necessary to support older adults' performance on VF tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ikram Methqal
- a Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal , Montreal, QC , Canada.,b Faculty of Medecine , University of Montreal , Montreal , QC , Canada
| | | | - Maximiliano A Wilson
- d Centre de recherche CERVO - CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale et Département de réadaptation , Université Laval , Québec , Canada
| | - Oury Monchi
- e Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine , University of Calgary , Calgary , Canada
| | - Yves Joanette
- a Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal , Montreal, QC , Canada.,b Faculty of Medecine , University of Montreal , Montreal , QC , Canada
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33
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Scheuringer A, Wittig R, Pletzer B. Sex differences in verbal fluency: the role of strategies and instructions. Cogn Process 2017; 18:407-417. [PMID: 28365902 PMCID: PMC5688186 DOI: 10.1007/s10339-017-0801-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2015] [Accepted: 03/24/2017] [Indexed: 10/30/2022]
Abstract
Sex differences in verbal fluency performance and strategies are highly controversial, nevertheless suggesting a slight female advantage at least for phonemic fluency. A tendency of increased clustering of words into phonemic and semantic subcategories in men and increased switching between those categories in women has been suggested. In spatial tasks, it has been demonstrated that changes in instructions favoring a certain cognitive strategy can alter sex differences in performance. Such an approach has, however, not been attempted previously with verbal tasks. In the present investigation, 19 women in their luteal cycle phase and 23 men performed a phonemic and a semantic fluency task with three different instructions, one neutral, one emphasizing the clustering, and one emphasizing the switching of words. While under neutral instructions no sex differences were observed in verbal fluency performance and strategies, sex differences in switching and overall performance were observed in semantic fluency with an instruction requiring a switching strategy. Furthermore, correlation analyses suggested that the importance of strategies for overall performance differed between women and men. While only switching, but not clustering was related to overall verbal fluency performance in all tasks under all instructions, this relationship was driven by women in the phonemic task, but by men in the semantic task. These results highlight the importance of a consistent methodology in sex difference research. Slight variations in instructions may in part explain inconsistencies regarding sex differences in verbal fluency between previous studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Scheuringer
- Department of Psychology, Paris-Lodron University Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstraße 34, 5020, Salzburg, Austria.
- Center of Neurocognitive Research, Paris-Lodron University Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstraße 34, 5020, Salzburg, Austria.
| | - Ramona Wittig
- Department of Psychology, Paris-Lodron University Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstraße 34, 5020, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Belinda Pletzer
- Department of Psychology, Paris-Lodron University Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstraße 34, 5020, Salzburg, Austria
- Center of Neurocognitive Research, Paris-Lodron University Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstraße 34, 5020, Salzburg, Austria
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Fishman KN, Ashbaugh AR, Lanctôt KL, Cayley ML, Herrmann N, Murray BJ, Sicard M, Lien K, Sahlas DJ, Swartz RH. Apathy, not depressive symptoms, as a predictor of semantic and phonemic fluency task performance in stroke and transient ischemic attack. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol 2017; 40:449-461. [DOI: 10.1080/13803395.2017.1371282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Keera N. Fishman
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Andrea R. Ashbaugh
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Krista L. Lanctôt
- Department of Medicine (Psychiatry), Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Megan L. Cayley
- Department of Medicine (Neurology), Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Nathan Herrmann
- Department of Medicine (Psychiatry), Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Brian J. Murray
- Department of Medicine (Neurology), Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Michelle Sicard
- Department of Medicine (Neurology), Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Karen Lien
- Department of Medicine (Neurology), Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Demetrios J. Sahlas
- Department of Medicine (Neurology), Hamilton Health Sciences, Hamilton General Hospital, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Richard H. Swartz
- Department of Medicine (Neurology), Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Gordon JK, Young M, Garcia C. Why do older adults have difficulty with semantic fluency? AGING NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITION 2017; 25:803-828. [DOI: 10.1080/13825585.2017.1374328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jean K. Gordon
- Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Megan Young
- Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Carly Garcia
- Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
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Scheuringer A, Pletzer B. Sex Differences and Menstrual Cycle Dependent Changes in Cognitive Strategies during Spatial Navigation and Verbal Fluency. Front Psychol 2017; 8:381. [PMID: 28367133 PMCID: PMC5355435 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2016] [Accepted: 02/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Men typically outperform women in spatial navigation tasks, while the advantage of women in verbal fluency is more controversial. Sex differences in cognitive abilities have been related to sex-specific cognitive strategies on the one hand and sex hormone influences on the other hand. However, sex hormone and menstrual cycle influences on cognitive strategies have not been previously investigated. In the present study we assessed cognitive strategy use during spatial navigation and verbal fluency in 51 men and 49 women. In order to evaluate sex hormone influences, all participants completed two test sessions, which were time-locked to the early follicular (low estradiol and progesterone) and mid-luteal cycle phase (high estradiol and progesterone) in women. As hypothesized, men outperformed women in navigation, whereas women outperformed men in phonemic verbal fluency. Furthermore, women switched more often between categories in the phonemic fluency condition, compared to men, indicating sex-specific strategy use. Sex differences in strategy use during navigation did, however, not follow the expected pattern. Menstrual cycle phase, however, did modulate strategy use during navigation as expected, with improved performance with the landmark strategy in the luteal, compared to the follicular phase. No menstrual cycle effects were observed on clustering or switching during verbal fluency. This suggests a modulation of cognitive strategy use during spatial navigation, but not during verbal fluency, by relative hormone increases during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Belinda Pletzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg,Salzburg, Austria; Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg,Salzburg, Austria
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Nair VA, Beniwal-Patel P, Mbah I, Young BM, Prabhakaran V, Saha S. Structural Imaging Changes and Behavioral Correlates in Patients with Crohn's Disease in Remission. Front Hum Neurosci 2016; 10:460. [PMID: 27695405 PMCID: PMC5025433 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2016.00460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2016] [Accepted: 08/31/2016] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Crohn’s disease (CD) is a subtype of inflammatory bowel disease caused by immune-mediated inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. The extent of morphologic brain alterations and their associated cognitive and affective impairments remain poorly characterized. Aims: We used magnetic resonance imaging to identify structural brain differences between patients with Crohn’s disease in remission compared to age-matched healthy controls and evaluated for structural-behavioral correlates. Methods: Nineteen patients and 20 healthy, age-matched controls were recruited in the study. Group differences in brain morphometric measures and correlations between brain measures and performance on a cognitive task, the verbal fluency (VF) task, were examined. Correlations between brain measures and cognitive measures as well as self-reported measures of depression, personality, and affective scales were examined. Results: Patients showed significant cortical thickening in the left superior frontal region compared to controls. Significant group differences were observed in sub-cortical volume measures in both hemispheres. Investigation of brain-behavior correlations revealed significant group differences in the correlation between cortical surface area and VF performance, although behavioral performance was equivalent between the two groups. The left middle temporal surface area was a significant predictor of VF performance with controls showing a significant positive correlation between these measures, and patients showing the opposite effect. Conclusion: Our results indicate key differences in structural brain measures in patients with CD compared to controls. Additionally, correlation between brain measures and behavioral responses suggest there may be a neural basis to the alterations in patients’ cognitive and affective responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veena A Nair
- Department of Radiology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison WI, USA
| | - Poonam Beniwal-Patel
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison WI, USA
| | - Ifeanyi Mbah
- Department of Radiology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin - Madison, MadisonWI, USA; Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Wisconsin - Madison, MadisonWI, USA
| | - Brittany M Young
- Department of Radiology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin - Madison, MadisonWI, USA; Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Wisconsin - Madison, MadisonWI, USA; Neuroscience Training Program, University of Wisconsin - Madison, MadisonWI, USA
| | - Vivek Prabhakaran
- Department of Radiology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin - Madison, MadisonWI, USA; Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Wisconsin - Madison, MadisonWI, USA; Neuroscience Training Program, University of Wisconsin - Madison, MadisonWI, USA; Department of Neurology, University of Wisconsin - Madison, MadisonWI, USA; Department of Psychology and Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin - Madison, MadisonWI, USA
| | - Sumona Saha
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison WI, USA
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Abdel Aziz K, Khater MS, Emara T, Tawfik HM, Rasheedy D, Mohammedin AS, Tolba MF, El-Gabry DA, Qassem T. Effects of age, education, and gender on verbal fluency in healthy adult Arabic-speakers in Egypt. APPLIED NEUROPSYCHOLOGY-ADULT 2016; 24:331-341. [PMID: 27282630 DOI: 10.1080/23279095.2016.1185424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The objective of this study is to establish the effects of age, gender, and education and to provide preliminary normative data for letter and category fluency tasks in the Egyptian Arabic-speaking population. We evaluated 139 cognitively healthy volunteers aged 20-93 by adapting the letter and category verbal fluency tasks for the Egyptian population. On the letter fluency task, mean number of words generated in one-minute beginning with the Arabic letter "Sheen" (pronounced "sh") was 8.14 words per minute (SD = 3.25). Letter fluency was significantly influenced by education. On category fluency tasks, mean number of animal names generated in one minute was 14.63 words (SD = 5.28). Category fluency was significantly influenced by age and education. We were able identify that age significantly affects category fluency while education significantly affected both letter and category fluency. We were also able to provide preliminary normative data for both tasks in the Egyptian population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karim Abdel Aziz
- a Department of Psychiatry , United Arab Emirates University , Al-Ain , United Arab Emirates
| | - Mohamed S Khater
- b Geriatrics and Gerontology Department, Faculty of Medicine , Ain Shams University , Cairo , Egypt
| | - Tamer Emara
- c Neurology Department, Faculty of Medicine , Ain Shams University , Cairo , Egypt
| | - Heba M Tawfik
- b Geriatrics and Gerontology Department, Faculty of Medicine , Ain Shams University , Cairo , Egypt
| | - Doha Rasheedy
- b Geriatrics and Gerontology Department, Faculty of Medicine , Ain Shams University , Cairo , Egypt
| | - Ahmed S Mohammedin
- b Geriatrics and Gerontology Department, Faculty of Medicine , Ain Shams University , Cairo , Egypt
| | - Mohammad F Tolba
- b Geriatrics and Gerontology Department, Faculty of Medicine , Ain Shams University , Cairo , Egypt
| | | | - Tarik Qassem
- d Psychiatry Department , Ain Shams University , Cairo , Egypt.,e Old Age Psychiatry Service , Black Country Partnership NHS Foundation NHS Trust , West Bromwich , United Kingdom.,f Psychiatry Department , University of Warwick , Coventry , United Kingdom
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Camodeca A, Voelker S. Automatic and controlled processing and the Broad Autism Phenotype. Psychiatry Res 2016; 235:169-76. [PMID: 26652842 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2015.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2015] [Revised: 10/23/2015] [Accepted: 11/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Research related to verbal fluency in the Broad Autism Phenotype (BAP) is limited and dated, but generally suggests intact abilities in the context of weaknesses in other areas of executive function (Hughes et al., 1999; Wong et al., 2006; Delorme et al., 2007). Controlled processing, the generation of search strategies after initial, automated responses are exhausted (Spat, 2013), has yet to be investigated in the BAP, and may be evidenced in verbal fluency tasks. One hundred twenty-nine participants completed the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System Verbal Fluency test (D-KEFS; Delis et al., 2001) and the Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ; Hurley et al., 2007). The BAP group (n=53) produced significantly fewer total words during the 2nd 15" interval compared to the Non-BAP (n=76) group. Partial correlations indicated similar relations between verbal fluency variables for each group. Regression analyses predicting 2nd 15" interval scores suggested differentiation between controlled and automatic processing skills in both groups. Results suggest adequate automatic processing, but slowed development of controlled processing strategies in the BAP, and provide evidence for similar underlying cognitive constructs for both groups. Controlled processing was predictive of Block Design score for Non-BAP participants, and was predictive of Pragmatic Language score on the BAPQ for BAP participants. These results are similar to past research related to strengths and weaknesses in the BAP, respectively, and suggest that controlled processing strategy use may be required in instances of weak lower-level skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Camodeca
- University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Avenue, Windsor, ON, Canada N9B 3P4.
| | - Sylvia Voelker
- University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Avenue, Windsor, ON, Canada N9B 3P4
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Carmo JC, Duarte E, Pinho S, Marques JF, Filipe CN. Verbal fluency as a function of time in autism spectrum disorder: An impairment of initiation processes? J Clin Exp Neuropsychol 2015. [DOI: 10.1080/13803395.2015.1062082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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Language Development across the Life Span: A Neuropsychological/Neuroimaging Perspective. NEUROSCIENCE JOURNAL 2014; 2014:585237. [PMID: 26317109 PMCID: PMC4437268 DOI: 10.1155/2014/585237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2014] [Accepted: 11/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Language development has been correlated with specific changes in brain development. The aim of this paper is to analyze the linguistic-brain associations that occur from birth through senescence. Findings from the neuropsychological and neuroimaging literature are reviewed, and the relationship of language changes observable in human development and the corresponding brain maturation processes across age groups are examined. Two major dimensions of language development are highlighted: naming (considered a major measure of lexical knowledge) and verbal fluency (regarded as a major measure of language production ability). Developmental changes in the brain lateralization of language are discussed, emphasizing that in early life there is an increase in functional brain asymmetry for language, but that this asymmetry changes over time, and that changes in the volume of gray and white matter are age-sensitive. The effects of certain specific variables, such as gender, level of education, and bilingualism are also analyzed. General conclusions are presented and directions for future research are suggested.
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Shao Z, Janse E, Visser K, Meyer AS. What do verbal fluency tasks measure? Predictors of verbal fluency performance in older adults. Front Psychol 2014; 5:772. [PMID: 25101034 PMCID: PMC4106453 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 563] [Impact Index Per Article: 56.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2014] [Accepted: 07/01/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
This study examined the contributions of verbal ability and executive control to verbal fluency performance in older adults (n = 82). Verbal fluency was assessed in letter and category fluency tasks, and performance on these tasks was related to indicators of vocabulary size, lexical access speed, updating, and inhibition ability. In regression analyses the number of words produced in both fluency tasks was predicted by updating ability, and the speed of the first response was predicted by vocabulary size and, for category fluency only, lexical access speed. These results highlight the hybrid character of both fluency tasks, which may limit their usefulness for research and clinical purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeshu Shao
- The Psychology of Language Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Esther Janse
- The Psychology of Language Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics Nijmegen, Netherlands ; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands ; Centre for Language Studies, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Karina Visser
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Antje S Meyer
- The Psychology of Language Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics Nijmegen, Netherlands ; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands
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Lee SH, Kim H, Kim J, Yoon JH, Kim SR. Initial phase performance in a 30-s verbal fluency task as being reflective of aging effect. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2014; 15:496-500. [PMID: 24730516 DOI: 10.1111/ggi.12284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/09/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
AIM The purpose of the present study was to investigate if performance in a 30-s verbal semantic fluency task (i.e. animal naming) across five elderly aged groups (60-64; 65-69; 70-74; 75-79; 80-84 years) would be reflective of aging effect. METHODS We analyzed differences in performance across 5-s phases and the moment of first word production in these five age groups. RESULTS The following results were obtained: (i) with increasing age, the total number of words produced gradually declined (P < 0.001); (ii) there were significant differences in performance among the age groups in three phases (0-5, 6-10, 16-20 s) (P < 0.05); and (iii) the first word production within the first 5-s phase was significantly delayed in the 75-79 years and 80-84 years age groups compared with the rest of the age groups. CONCLUSIONS Performance in the initial 5-s phase might be sensitive to cognitive degeneration in normal older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seon Ha Lee
- Graduate Program in Speech and Language Pathology, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea
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Cralidis A, Lundgren K. Component analysis of verbal fluency performance in younger participants with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury. Brain Inj 2014; 28:456-64. [PMID: 24678825 DOI: 10.3109/02699052.2014.896945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
PRIMARY OBJECTIVE To investigate phonemic and semantic verbal fluency performance in a group of young adult participants with and without traumatic brain injury. RESEARCH DESIGN Group comparison. METHODS AND PROCEDURES Twenty-five participants with moderate-to-severe TBI and 25 participants with no brain damage (NBD) were given phonemic and semantic verbal fluency tasks. Responses were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. MAIN OUTCOMES AND RESULTS Young participants with moderate-to-severe TBI generated significantly fewer total correct words and sub-categories for both fluency conditions when compared to controls. The total number of correct words generated on the phonemic condition and for the semantic category of animals was positively correlated with the number of category switches produced during the task. CONCLUSIONS While young participants with moderate-to-severe TBI produced fewer total correct words on both verbal fluency conditions in comparison to controls, these differences were greater on the phonemic condition. Participants with moderate-to-severe TBI switched less frequently on both fluency tasks and produced smaller cluster sizes only on the phonemic task in comparison to controls. These results are in contrast with previous investigations that have observed greater age-related declines on semantic tasks when compared to phonemic tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann Cralidis
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Longwood University , Farmville, VA , USA and
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Effect of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage on word generation. Behav Neurol 2014; 2014:610868. [PMID: 24803729 PMCID: PMC4006618 DOI: 10.1155/2014/610868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2013] [Accepted: 10/11/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background. Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) survivors commonly exhibit impairment on phonemic and semantic fluency tests; however, it is unclear which of the contributing cognitive processes are compromised in aSAH patients. One method of disentangling these processes is to compare initial word production, which is a rapid, semiautomatic, frontal-executive process, and late phase word production, which is dependent on more effortful retrieval and lexical size and requires a more distributed neural network. Methods. Seventy-two individuals with aSAH and twenty-five control subjects were tested on a cognitive battery including the phonemic and semantic fluency task. Demographic and clinical information was also collected. Results. Compared to control subjects, patients with aSAH were treated by clipping and those with multiple aneurysms were impaired across the duration of the phonemic test. Among patients treated by coiling, those with anterior communicating artery aneurysms or a neurological complication (intraventricular hemorrhage, vasospasm, and edema) showed worse output only in the last 45 seconds of the phonemic test. Patients performed comparably to control subjects on the semantic test. Conclusions. These results support a “diffuse damage” hypothesis of aSAH, indicated by late phase phonemic fluency impairment. Overall, the phonemic and semantic tests represent a viable, rapid clinical screening tool in the postoperative assessment of patients with aSAH.
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Kavé G, Yafé R. Performance of younger and older adults on tests of word knowledge and word retrieval: independence or interdependence of skills? AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY 2014; 23:36-45. [PMID: 23831710 DOI: 10.1044/1058-0360(2013/12-0136)] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between vocabulary knowledge and word retrieval in younger and older adults. METHOD Three tests of word retrieval and 2 tests of word knowledge were administered to 140 Hebrew-speaking adults, half of whom were younger (M(age) = 24.20 years) and half of whom were older (M(age) = 74.83 years). RESULTS Younger adults outperformed older adults on tests of retrieval, whereas older adults outperformed younger adults on tests of vocabulary, and no association was found between the 2 skills across the entire sample. Once age and education were taken into account, both skills contributed to the prediction of each other and were similarly related within each group. Older adults performed equally well when required to produce and recognize word meanings, whereas younger adults were better at recognition than at production. CONCLUSIONS Older age is associated with better knowledge and with retrieval difficulties, yet individual differences in vocabulary within each age group affect level of retrieval, and variability in search skills affects performance on vocabulary tests. Although the assessment of vocabulary is not free of retrieval demands, older adults as a group are more successful than are younger adults at producing word definitions, most likely because their knowledge is more complete.
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Aging and bilingual processing. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014. [DOI: 10.1075/hcp.44.10hou] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
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