Generative naming in normal aging: Total output and qualitative changes using phonemic and semantic constraints

Abstract

Verbal fluency tasks are commonly used in the assessment of dementia, although less is known about fluency characteristics in normal aging individuals. Category and letter fluency tasks were administered to four groups of healthy subjects who ranged in age from 50 to 90 years (N = 174). Despite similar educational and vocabulary levels, significant group differences were found on the majority of category fluency tasks, but not in letter fluency. Qualitative analysis revealed that perseveration and intrusion errors were rare and not associated with age. In contrast, analysis of the hierarchical structure of one category fluency task demonstrated age-related differences. Older subjects produced fewer exemplars per subcategory, and generated more category names in relation to specific exemplars. Gender effects were minimal across tasks. Category fluency appears to be disproportionately reduced compared with letter fluency in normal aging, which would be consistent with some degradation of semantic memory systems.     

Normative Data on the Boston Naming Test and Two Equivalent 30-Item Short Forms

Because of the significance of the Boston Naming Test (BNT) in the differential diagnosis of the dementias, especially Alzheimer's disease, adequate norms from community-dwelling elderly individuals are essential. The present study describes the development of two new empirically derived equivalent short forms (30 items each) of the test. Normative data for the total BNT and the two equivalent 30-item halves based on item difficulty are presented using the performance of 314 community-dwelling individuals aged 65 and over. Age and education norms are presented using an overlapping midpoint interval strategy.     

Sit-to-stand performance depends on sensation,speed, balance,and psychological status in addition to strength in older people

BACKGROUND: Sit-to-stand (STS) performance is often used as a measure of lower-limb strength in older people and those with significant weakness. However, the findings of recent studies suggest that performance in this test is also influenced by factors associated with balance and mobility. We conducted a study to determine whether sensorimotor, balance, and psychological factors in addition to lower-limb strength predict sit-to-stand performance in older people. METHODS: Six hundred and sixty nine community-dwelling men and women aged 75-93 years (mean age 78.9, SD = 4.1) underwent quantitative tests of strength, vision, peripheral sensation, reaction time, balance, health status, and sit-to-stand performance. RESULTS: Many physiological and psychological factors were significantly associated with sit-to-stand times in univariate analyses. Multiple regression analysis revealed that visual contrast sensitivity, lower limb proprioception, peripheral tactile sensitivity, reaction time involving a foot-press response, sway with eyes open on a foam rubber mat, body weight, and scores on the Short-Form 12 Health Status Questionnaire pain, anxiety, and vitality scales in addition to knee extension, knee flexion, and ankle dorsiflexion strength were significant and independent predictors of STS performance. Of these measures, quadriceps strength had the highest beta weight, indicating it was the most important variable in explaining the variance in STS times. However, the remaining measures accounted for more than half the explained variance in STS times. The final regression model explained 34.9% of the variance in STS times (multiple R =.59). CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that, in community-dwelling older people, STS performance is influenced by multiple physiological and psychological processes and represents a particular transfer skill, rather than a proxy measure of lower limb strength.