Subclinical naming errors in mild cognitive impairment: A semantic deficit?

Willers, Indra F.; Feldman, Mónica L.; Allegri, Ricardo F.

doi:10.1590/S1980-57642009DN20300010

Abstract

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is the transitional stage between normal aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Impairments in semantic memory have been demonstrated to be a critical factor in early AD. The Boston Naming Test (BNT) is a straightforward method of examining semantic or visuo-perceptual processing and therefore represents a potential diagnostic tool. The objective of this study was to examine naming ability and identify error types in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI).

Methods:

Twenty aMCI patients, twenty AD patients and twenty-one normal controls, matched by age, sex and education level were evaluated. As part of a further neuropsychological evaluation, all subjects performed the BNT. A comprehensive classification of error types was devised in order to compare performance and ascertain semantic or perceptual origin of errors.

Results:

AD patients obtained significantly lower total scores on the BNT than aMCI patients and controls. aMCI patients did not obtain significant differences in total scores, but showed significantly higher semantic errors compared to controls.

Conclusion:

This study reveals that semantic processing is impaired during confrontation naming in aMCI.

Key words:
amnestic; mild cognitive impairment; dementia; Alzheimer; naming.

Resumo

Comprometimento cognitivo leve (CCL) é um estágio de transição entre o envelhecimento normal e a doença de Alzheimer (DA). Comprometimento da memória semântica tem sido demonstrado como um fator crítico na DA precoce. O Teste de Nomeação de Boston (TNB) é um meio fácil para examinar o processamento semântico e viso-espacial e também um instrumento potencial de diagnóstico.

Objetivo:

Examinar a habilidade de nomeação e discriminar os tipos de erros em pacientes com CCL amnéstico (CCLa).

Métodos:

Vinte pacientes com CCLa, 20 pacientes com DA e 21 controles normais pareados por idade, sexo e nível educacional foram avaliados. Como parte da avaliação neuropsicológica a todos foi administrado o TNB. Uma ampla classificação dos tipos de erros foi realizada a fim de comparar o desempenho e conhecer a origem semântica ou perceptiva dos erros.

Resultados:

Os pacientes com DA obtiveram piores escores totais no TNB do que os pacientes com CCLa e controles. Os pacientes com CCLa não tiveram diferenças significativas nos escores totais, porém, mostraram um número maior e significativo de erros semânticos comparados aos controles.

Conclusão:

Este estudo revela que o processamento semântico está comprometido durante a nomeação por confrontação no CCLa.

Palavras-chave:
amnéstico; comprometimento cognitivo leve; demência; doença de Alzheimer.

Texto completo disponível apenas em PDF.

Full text available only in PDF format.

References

¹
Allegri RF, Butman J, Arizaga RL, et al. Economic impact of dementia in developing countries: an evaluation of costs of Alzheimer-type dementia in Argentina. Int Psychogeriatr 2007;19:705-718.
²
Portet F, Ousset PJ, Visser PJ, Frisoni GB, Nobili F, Scheltens PH. Mild cognitive impairment in medical practice: a critical review of the concept and new diagnostic procedure. Report of the MCI Working Group of the European Consortium on Alzheimer's disease. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2006;77: 714-718.
³
Petersen RC, Smith GE, Waring SC, Ivnik RJ, Tangalos EG, Kolmen E. Mild cognitive impairment: clinical characterization and outcome. Arch Neurol 1999;56:303-308.
⁴
De Kosky ST, Chertkow HM. Just forgetfulness or onset of Alzheimer's disease. Plenary session of American Academy of Neurology, May, 2001.
⁵
Allegri RF, Laurent B, Thomas Anterion C, Serrano CM. Memory in normal aging, mild cognitive impairment and dementia. In Dementia: multidisciplinary approach. Mangone CA, Allegri RF, Arizaga RL, Ollari JA, Editors. Buenos Aires: Ed. Polemos; 2005.
⁶
Laurent B, Anterion C, Allegri RF. Memory and dementia. Rev Neurol (Paris) 1998;154 (Suppl 2):S33-S49.
⁷
Benton AL. Differential behavioural effects in frontal lobe disease. Neuropsychologia 1968;5:53-60.
⁸
Wechsler D. Manual for the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. San Antonio (TX): The Psychological Corporation, 1987.
⁹
Kaplan EF, Goodglass H, Weintraub S. The Boston Naming Test, 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Lea & Febiger; 1993.
¹⁰
Williams BW, Mack W, Henderson VW. Boston Naming Test in Alzheimer's disease. Neuropsychologia 1989;27:1073-1079.
¹¹
Dudas RB, Clague F, Thompson SA, et al. Episodic and semantic memory in mild cognitive impairment. Neuropsychologia 2005;43:1266-1276.
¹²
Testa JA, Ivnik RJ, Boeve B, et al. Confrontation naming does not add incremental diagnostic utility in MCI and Alzheimer's disease. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 2004; 10:504-512.
¹³
Balthazar MLF, Martinelli JE, Cendes F, Damasceno BP. Lexical semantic memory in amnestic mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer's disease. Arq Neuropsiquiatr 2007;65:619-622.
¹⁴
Faust ME, Multhaup KS, Balota DA. Phonological blocking during picture naming in dementia of the Alzheimer type. Neuropsychology 2004;18:526-536.
¹⁵
APA - American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM-IV, Washington, DC 1994.
¹⁶
Mc Khann G, Drachman D, Folstein M, Katzman R, Price D, Stadlan EM. Clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease: Report of the NINCDS ADRDA work group under the auspices of Department of Health and Human Services Task Force on Alzheimer's disease. Neurology 1984;34:939-944.
¹⁷
Folstein MF, Folstein SE, McHugh PR. Mini mental state. A practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. J Psychiatr Res 1975;12:189-198.
¹⁸
Signoret JL, Whiteley A. Memory battery scale. Intern Neuropsych Soc Bull 1979;2:26.
¹⁹
Reitan RM. Validity of the Trail Making Test as an indication of organic brain damage. Percept Mot Skills 1958;8:271.
²⁰
Butman J, Allegri RF, Harris P, Drake M. Verbal Fluency in Spanish. Normative Data in Argentina. Medicina (Buenos Aires) 2000;60:561-564.
²¹
Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI). San Antonio (TX): The Psychological Corporation, 1999.
²²
Hamilton M. A rating scale in depression. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1960;23:56-62.
²³
Allegri RF, Mangone CA, Rymberg S, Fernandez A, Taragano FE. Spanish version of the Boston Naming Test in Buenos Aires. Clin Neuropsychol 1997;11:416-420.
²⁴
Hogdes JR, Salmon DP, & Butters N. The nature of the naming deficit in Alzheimer's and Huntington's disease. Brain 1991;114:1547-1558.
²⁵
Lethlean JB, & Murdoch BE. Naming errors in multiple sclerosis: support for a combined semantic/perceptual deficit. J Neuroling 1994;8:207-223.
²⁶
Tamaroff L, Allegri RF. Introduction to Clinical Neuropsychology. Buenos Aires: Argentum Eds.;1995.
²⁷
Drake MA, Allegri RF, Carrá A. Language disorders in multiple sclerosis. Neurología 2002;17:12-16.

Publication Dates

Publication in this collection
Jul-Sep 2008

History

Received
19 May 2008
Accepted
23 Aug 2008

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License

[1] ¹
Allegri RF, Butman J, Arizaga RL, et al. Economic impact of dementia in developing countries: an evaluation of costs of Alzheimer-type dementia in Argentina. Int Psychogeriatr 2007;19:705-718.

[2] ²
Portet F, Ousset PJ, Visser PJ, Frisoni GB, Nobili F, Scheltens PH. Mild cognitive impairment in medical practice: a critical review of the concept and new diagnostic procedure. Report of the MCI Working Group of the European Consortium on Alzheimer's disease. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2006;77: 714-718.

[3] ³
Petersen RC, Smith GE, Waring SC, Ivnik RJ, Tangalos EG, Kolmen E. Mild cognitive impairment: clinical characterization and outcome. Arch Neurol 1999;56:303-308.

[4] ⁴
De Kosky ST, Chertkow HM. Just forgetfulness or onset of Alzheimer's disease. Plenary session of American Academy of Neurology, May, 2001.

[5] ⁵
Allegri RF, Laurent B, Thomas Anterion C, Serrano CM. Memory in normal aging, mild cognitive impairment and dementia. In Dementia: multidisciplinary approach. Mangone CA, Allegri RF, Arizaga RL, Ollari JA, Editors. Buenos Aires: Ed. Polemos; 2005.

[6] ⁶
Laurent B, Anterion C, Allegri RF. Memory and dementia. Rev Neurol (Paris) 1998;154 (Suppl 2):S33-S49.

[7] ⁷
Benton AL. Differential behavioural effects in frontal lobe disease. Neuropsychologia 1968;5:53-60.

[8] ⁸
Wechsler D. Manual for the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. San Antonio (TX): The Psychological Corporation, 1987.

[9] ⁹
Kaplan EF, Goodglass H, Weintraub S. The Boston Naming Test, 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Lea & Febiger; 1993.

[10] ¹⁰
Williams BW, Mack W, Henderson VW. Boston Naming Test in Alzheimer's disease. Neuropsychologia 1989;27:1073-1079.

[11] ¹¹
Dudas RB, Clague F, Thompson SA, et al. Episodic and semantic memory in mild cognitive impairment. Neuropsychologia 2005;43:1266-1276.

[12] ¹²
Testa JA, Ivnik RJ, Boeve B, et al. Confrontation naming does not add incremental diagnostic utility in MCI and Alzheimer's disease. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 2004; 10:504-512.

[13] ¹³
Balthazar MLF, Martinelli JE, Cendes F, Damasceno BP. Lexical semantic memory in amnestic mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer's disease. Arq Neuropsiquiatr 2007;65:619-622.

[14] ¹⁴
Faust ME, Multhaup KS, Balota DA. Phonological blocking during picture naming in dementia of the Alzheimer type. Neuropsychology 2004;18:526-536.

[15] ¹⁵
APA - American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM-IV, Washington, DC 1994.

[16] ¹⁶
Mc Khann G, Drachman D, Folstein M, Katzman R, Price D, Stadlan EM. Clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease: Report of the NINCDS ADRDA work group under the auspices of Department of Health and Human Services Task Force on Alzheimer's disease. Neurology 1984;34:939-944.

[17] ¹⁷
Folstein MF, Folstein SE, McHugh PR. Mini mental state. A practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. J Psychiatr Res 1975;12:189-198.

[18] ¹⁸
Signoret JL, Whiteley A. Memory battery scale. Intern Neuropsych Soc Bull 1979;2:26.

[19] ¹⁹
Reitan RM. Validity of the Trail Making Test as an indication of organic brain damage. Percept Mot Skills 1958;8:271.

[20] ²⁰
Butman J, Allegri RF, Harris P, Drake M. Verbal Fluency in Spanish. Normative Data in Argentina. Medicina (Buenos Aires) 2000;60:561-564.

[21] ²¹
Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI). San Antonio (TX): The Psychological Corporation, 1999.

[22] ²²
Hamilton M. A rating scale in depression. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1960;23:56-62.

[23] ²³
Allegri RF, Mangone CA, Rymberg S, Fernandez A, Taragano FE. Spanish version of the Boston Naming Test in Buenos Aires. Clin Neuropsychol 1997;11:416-420.

[24] ²⁴
Hogdes JR, Salmon DP, & Butters N. The nature of the naming deficit in Alzheimer's and Huntington's disease. Brain 1991;114:1547-1558.

[25] ²⁵
Lethlean JB, & Murdoch BE. Naming errors in multiple sclerosis: support for a combined semantic/perceptual deficit. J Neuroling 1994;8:207-223.

[26] ²⁶
Tamaroff L, Allegri RF. Introduction to Clinical Neuropsychology. Buenos Aires: Argentum Eds.;1995.

[27] ²⁷
Drake MA, Allegri RF, Carrá A. Language disorders in multiple sclerosis. Neurología 2002;17:12-16.

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