Abstract
In this study we contrasted the Category fluency and Letter fluency performance of 198 normal subjects, 57 Alzheimer's patients and 57 patients affected by traumatic brain injury (TBI). The aim was to check whether, besides the prevalence of Category fluency deficit often reported among Alzheimer's patients, the TBI group presented the opposite dissociation. According to some recent claims, in fact, the deficit of TBI would be equally severe for both fluency types. The inquiry followed different approaches for data analysis, including the evaluation of a unique index (Fluency Type Index or FTI), independent of the overall fluency and aimed at expressing at individual subject level the relationship between Category and Letter fluency. The results confirmed that Alzheimer's patients are more defective on Category than Letter fluency, and also clearly indicated that an opposite pattern applies to TBI patients. TBI seems to cause a relatively more severe impairment of Letter than Category fluency, probably due to its impact on the frontal lobe structures. We discuss whether, on the basis of the statistical distribution of our data, it is worth considering as homogeneous populations broadly defined groups as Alzheimer's or TBI patients.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 423-429 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Neuropsychologia |
| Volume | 47 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jan 2009 |
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Keywords
- Alzheimer's disease
- Traumatic brain injury
- Verbal fluency
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Behavioral Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Cite this
Mirror asymmetry of Category and Letter fluency in traumatic brain injury and Alzheimer's patients. / Capitani, Erminio; Rosci, Chiara; Saetti, Maria Cristina; Laiacona, Marcella.
In: Neuropsychologia, Vol. 47, No. 2, 01.2009, p. 423-429.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Mirror asymmetry of Category and Letter fluency in traumatic brain injury and Alzheimer's patients
AU - Capitani, Erminio
AU - Rosci, Chiara
AU - Saetti, Maria Cristina
AU - Laiacona, Marcella
PY - 2009/1
Y1 - 2009/1
N2 - In this study we contrasted the Category fluency and Letter fluency performance of 198 normal subjects, 57 Alzheimer's patients and 57 patients affected by traumatic brain injury (TBI). The aim was to check whether, besides the prevalence of Category fluency deficit often reported among Alzheimer's patients, the TBI group presented the opposite dissociation. According to some recent claims, in fact, the deficit of TBI would be equally severe for both fluency types. The inquiry followed different approaches for data analysis, including the evaluation of a unique index (Fluency Type Index or FTI), independent of the overall fluency and aimed at expressing at individual subject level the relationship between Category and Letter fluency. The results confirmed that Alzheimer's patients are more defective on Category than Letter fluency, and also clearly indicated that an opposite pattern applies to TBI patients. TBI seems to cause a relatively more severe impairment of Letter than Category fluency, probably due to its impact on the frontal lobe structures. We discuss whether, on the basis of the statistical distribution of our data, it is worth considering as homogeneous populations broadly defined groups as Alzheimer's or TBI patients.
AB - In this study we contrasted the Category fluency and Letter fluency performance of 198 normal subjects, 57 Alzheimer's patients and 57 patients affected by traumatic brain injury (TBI). The aim was to check whether, besides the prevalence of Category fluency deficit often reported among Alzheimer's patients, the TBI group presented the opposite dissociation. According to some recent claims, in fact, the deficit of TBI would be equally severe for both fluency types. The inquiry followed different approaches for data analysis, including the evaluation of a unique index (Fluency Type Index or FTI), independent of the overall fluency and aimed at expressing at individual subject level the relationship between Category and Letter fluency. The results confirmed that Alzheimer's patients are more defective on Category than Letter fluency, and also clearly indicated that an opposite pattern applies to TBI patients. TBI seems to cause a relatively more severe impairment of Letter than Category fluency, probably due to its impact on the frontal lobe structures. We discuss whether, on the basis of the statistical distribution of our data, it is worth considering as homogeneous populations broadly defined groups as Alzheimer's or TBI patients.
KW - Alzheimer's disease
KW - Traumatic brain injury
KW - Verbal fluency
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=58849126878&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2008.09.016
DO - 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2008.09.016
M3 - Article
C2 - 18929584
AN - SCOPUS:58849126878
VL - 47
SP - 423
EP - 429
JO - Neuropsychologia
JF - Neuropsychologia
SN - 0028-3932
IS - 2
ER -