Semantic memory: Nouns and action verbs in cognitively unimpaired individuals and frontotemporal lobar degeneration

Mansur, Leticia Lessa; Carthery-Goulart, Maria Teresa; Bahia, Valéria Santoro; Bak, Thomas H.; Nitrini, Ricardo

doi:10.1590/S1980-57642013DN70100008

ABSTRACT

Among the instruments to evaluate semantic memory, the Pyramids and Palm Trees (PPT) and the Kissing and Dancing (KDT) tests are widely used but none have a performance referential for cognitively normal and impaired Brazilian populations.

Objective:

[A] To study these two tests in a sample of young healthy Brazilian individuals living in São Paulo; [B] To apply the results to the evaluation of two cases diagnosed with frontotemporal lobar degeneration.

Methods:

We evaluated 50 normal participants (41 females and 9 males) aged between 20-63 years, with schooling level of 14-20 years. In addition, two individuals diagnosed with frontotemporal lobar degeneration were examined, one with behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia and the other with semantic dementia.

Results:

On the two tests, no effects of age, gender and schooling on the performance of normal individuals were observed. According to the performance of the sample of controls, scores below 46 points on the PPT and below 47 on the KDT are suggestive of deficits in semantic memory. The analyses of both cases indicated double dissociation in establishing associations between nouns and action verbs. Although the two patients had low scores on both tests, the patient with behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia performed better on the PPT compared to the KDT, while the patient with semantic dementia showed the reverse, performing better on the KDT.

Conclusion:

The PPT and KDT are suitable tests for use in the Brazilian population, with minimal need for adjustments. They are applicable tools both for cognitive assessment and research in semantic memory. In the present study, we obtained representative values of performance for cognitively unimpaired individuals and demonstrated the utility of these instruments for cognitive assessment of patients with FTLD.

Key words:
cognition; language; memory; neuropsychological tests; age; schooling

RESUMO

Entre os instrumentos dirigidos à avaliação da memória semântica, temos os testes Pirâmides e Palmeiras ( Pyramids and Palm Trees - PPT) e o Beijando e Dançando ( Kissing and Dancing - KDT), para os quais não existem referências de desempenho de população brasileira normal e patológica.

Objetivo:

[A] Estudar esses dois testes em amostra de indivíduos jovens, sadios brasileiros, residentes na cidade de São Paulo; [B] Aplicar os resultados na avaliação de dois casos diagnosticados no espectro da degeneração lobar frontotemporal.

Métodos:

Avaliamos 50 participantes normais (41 mulheres e 9 homens) com idade entre 20-63 anos e escolaridade entre 14-20 anos. Adicionalmente foram examinados dois sujeitos com diagnóstico de degeneração lobar frontotemporal: um com demência frontotemporal-variante comportamental e outro com demência semântica.

Resultados:

Não observamos efeitos de idade, gênero e escolaridade na performance dos indivíduos normais nos dois testes. Obtivemos os valores de 46 pontos no PPT e 47 no KDT como indicativos de risco de déficit em memória semântica. A análise dos dois casos mostrou dupla dissociação na determinação de associações entre substantivos e verbos. Embora os pacientes apresentassem escores rebaixados nos dois testes, o paciente com demência frontotemporal-variante comportamental obteve melhor desempenho no PPT quando comparado ao KDT e o paciente com demência semântica mostrou padrão inverso, com melhor desempenho no KDT.

Conclusão:

Os testes PPT e KDT são aplicáveis à população brasileira, com necessidade de mínimos ajustes. Foi possível obter valores representativos de desempenho de população sadia, assim como vislumbrar o emprego em avaliações cognitivas de memória semântica nas DLFT.

Palavras-chave:
cognição; memória; linguagem; testes neuropsicológicos; idade; escolaridade

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REFERENCES

Baddeley A. Knowledge. In: Baddeley A. Human Memory: theory and practice. Boston: Allyn and Bacon; 1998:229-256.
Pulvermüller F. The neuroscience of language: on brain circuits of words and serial order. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2007:315p.
Howard D Patterson K. The pyramids and Palm Trees Test: a test of semantic access from words and pictures. Manual. UK: Harcourt Assessment; 1992:16.
Bak T, Hodges JR. Kissing and dancing-a test to distinguish the lexical and conceptual contributions to noun/verb and action/object dissociation. Preliminary results in patients with frontotemporal dementia. J Neurolinguistics 2003;16:169-181.
Goodglass H, Klein B, Carey P, Jones K. Specific semantic word categories in aphasia. Cortex 1966;2:74-89.
Gainotti G. Category-specific disorders for nouns and verbs: a very old and very new problem. In: Steemer B, Whitaker H. Handbook of Neurolinguistics. San Diego: Academic Press; 1998:3-11.
Bak T, Hodges JR. The effects of motor neuron disease on language: Further evidence. Brain Lang 2004;89:354-361
Rhee J, Antiquena P, Grossman M. Verb comprehension in frontotemporal degeneration: the role of grammatical, semantic and executive components. Neurocase 2001;7:173-184.
Silveri MC, Salvigni BL, Cappa A, Della Vedova C, Puopolo M. Impairment of verb processing in frontal variant-frontotemporal dementia: a dysexecutive symptom. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord 2003;16:296-330.
d'Honincthun P, Pillon A. Verb comprehension and naming in frontotemporal degeneration: the role of the static depiction of actions. Cortex2008;44:834-847.
Matzig S, Druks J, Masterson J, Vigliocco G. Noun and verb differences in picture naming: past studies and new evidence. Cortex2009; 45:738-758.
Shapiro KA, Mottaghy FM, Schiller NO, et al. Dissociating neural correlates for nouns and verbs. Neuroimage 2005;24:1058-1067.
Vigliocco G, Vinson DP, Druks J, Barber H, Cappa SF. Nouns and verbs in the brain: a review of behavioural, electrophysiological, neuropsychological and imaging studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2011;35:407-426.
Aggujaro S, Crepaldi D, Pistarini C, Taricco M, Luzzatti C. Neuro-anatomical correlates of impaired retrieval of verbs and nouns: interaction of grammatical class, imageability and actionality. J Neurolinguistics2006; 19:175-194.
Druks J, Masterson J, Kopelman M, Clare L, Rose A, Rai G. Is action naming better preserved (than object naming) in Alzheimer's disease and why should we ask? Brain Lang2006;98:332-340.
Yi H-A, Moore P, Grossman M. Reversal of the concreteness effect for verbs in patients with semantic dementia. Neuropsychologia 2007; 21:9-19.
Levy JA, Chelune GJ. Cognitive-behavioral profiles of neurodegenerative dementias: beyond Alzheimer's disease. J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 2007;20:227-238.
Callahan BL, Macoir J, Hudon C, et al. Normative data for the Pyramids and Palm Trees test in the Quebec-French population. Arch Clin Neuropsychol. 2010;25:212-217.
Gudayol-Ferré E, Lara JP, Herrera-Guzman I, et al. Semantic memory as assessed by the Pyramids and PalmTrees test: the impact of sociodemographic factors in a Spanish-speaking population. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 2008;14:148-151.
Gamboz N, Coluccia E, Iavarone A, Brandimonte MA. Normative data for the Pyramids and Palm Trees test in the elderly Italian population. Neurol Sci 2009;30:453-458.
Knopman DS, Kramer JH, Boeve BF, et al. Development of methodology for conducting clinical trials in frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Brain 2008;131:2957-2968.
Carvalho VA, Barbosa MT, Caramelli P. Brazilian Version of the Addenbrooke Cognitive Examination-revised in the Diagnosis of Mild Alzheimer Disease. Cog Behav Neurol 2010;23:8-13.
Bahia VS, Carthery-Goulart MT, Novelli MM, et al. Functional disability in Alzheimer disease: a validation study of the Brazilian version of the Disability Assessment for Dementia (DAD-Br). Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord 2010;24:291-295.
Camozzato AL, Kochhann R, Simeoni C, et al. Reliability of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) for patients with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers Int Psychogeriatr 2008;20:383-393.
Radanovic M, Mansur LL, Scaff M. Normative data for the Brazilian population in the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination: influence of schooling. Braz J Med Biol Res 2004;37:1731-1738.
Vigliocco G, Vinson DP, Druks J, Barber H, Cappa S. Nouns and verbs in the brain: a review of behavioural, electrophysiological, neuropsychological and imaging studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev2011;35: 407-426.

Publication Dates

Publication in this collection
Jan-Mar 2013

History

Received
21 Nov 2012
Accepted
24 Jan 2013

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

[1] Baddeley A. Knowledge. In: Baddeley A. Human Memory: theory and practice. Boston: Allyn and Bacon; 1998:229-256.

[2] Pulvermüller F. The neuroscience of language: on brain circuits of words and serial order. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2007:315p.

[3] Howard D Patterson K. The pyramids and Palm Trees Test: a test of semantic access from words and pictures. Manual. UK: Harcourt Assessment; 1992:16.

[4] Bak T, Hodges JR. Kissing and dancing-a test to distinguish the lexical and conceptual contributions to noun/verb and action/object dissociation. Preliminary results in patients with frontotemporal dementia. J Neurolinguistics 2003;16:169-181.

[5] Goodglass H, Klein B, Carey P, Jones K. Specific semantic word categories in aphasia. Cortex 1966;2:74-89.

[6] Gainotti G. Category-specific disorders for nouns and verbs: a very old and very new problem. In: Steemer B, Whitaker H. Handbook of Neurolinguistics. San Diego: Academic Press; 1998:3-11.

[7] Bak T, Hodges JR. The effects of motor neuron disease on language: Further evidence. Brain Lang 2004;89:354-361

[8] Rhee J, Antiquena P, Grossman M. Verb comprehension in frontotemporal degeneration: the role of grammatical, semantic and executive components. Neurocase 2001;7:173-184.

[9] Silveri MC, Salvigni BL, Cappa A, Della Vedova C, Puopolo M. Impairment of verb processing in frontal variant-frontotemporal dementia: a dysexecutive symptom. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord 2003;16:296-330.

[10] d'Honincthun P, Pillon A. Verb comprehension and naming in frontotemporal degeneration: the role of the static depiction of actions. Cortex2008;44:834-847.

[11] Matzig S, Druks J, Masterson J, Vigliocco G. Noun and verb differences in picture naming: past studies and new evidence. Cortex2009; 45:738-758.

[12] Shapiro KA, Mottaghy FM, Schiller NO, et al. Dissociating neural correlates for nouns and verbs. Neuroimage 2005;24:1058-1067.

[13] Vigliocco G, Vinson DP, Druks J, Barber H, Cappa SF. Nouns and verbs in the brain: a review of behavioural, electrophysiological, neuropsychological and imaging studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2011;35:407-426.

[14] Aggujaro S, Crepaldi D, Pistarini C, Taricco M, Luzzatti C. Neuro-anatomical correlates of impaired retrieval of verbs and nouns: interaction of grammatical class, imageability and actionality. J Neurolinguistics2006; 19:175-194.

[15] Druks J, Masterson J, Kopelman M, Clare L, Rose A, Rai G. Is action naming better preserved (than object naming) in Alzheimer's disease and why should we ask? Brain Lang2006;98:332-340.

[16] Yi H-A, Moore P, Grossman M. Reversal of the concreteness effect for verbs in patients with semantic dementia. Neuropsychologia 2007; 21:9-19.

[17] Levy JA, Chelune GJ. Cognitive-behavioral profiles of neurodegenerative dementias: beyond Alzheimer's disease. J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 2007;20:227-238.

[18] Callahan BL, Macoir J, Hudon C, et al. Normative data for the Pyramids and Palm Trees test in the Quebec-French population. Arch Clin Neuropsychol. 2010;25:212-217.

[19] Gudayol-Ferré E, Lara JP, Herrera-Guzman I, et al. Semantic memory as assessed by the Pyramids and PalmTrees test: the impact of sociodemographic factors in a Spanish-speaking population. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 2008;14:148-151.

[20] Gamboz N, Coluccia E, Iavarone A, Brandimonte MA. Normative data for the Pyramids and Palm Trees test in the elderly Italian population. Neurol Sci 2009;30:453-458.

[21] Knopman DS, Kramer JH, Boeve BF, et al. Development of methodology for conducting clinical trials in frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Brain 2008;131:2957-2968.

[22] Carvalho VA, Barbosa MT, Caramelli P. Brazilian Version of the Addenbrooke Cognitive Examination-revised in the Diagnosis of Mild Alzheimer Disease. Cog Behav Neurol 2010;23:8-13.

[23] Bahia VS, Carthery-Goulart MT, Novelli MM, et al. Functional disability in Alzheimer disease: a validation study of the Brazilian version of the Disability Assessment for Dementia (DAD-Br). Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord 2010;24:291-295.

[24] Camozzato AL, Kochhann R, Simeoni C, et al. Reliability of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) for patients with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers Int Psychogeriatr 2008;20:383-393.

[25] Radanovic M, Mansur LL, Scaff M. Normative data for the Brazilian population in the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination: influence of schooling. Braz J Med Biol Res 2004;37:1731-1738.

[26] Vigliocco G, Vinson DP, Druks J, Barber H, Cappa S. Nouns and verbs in the brain: a review of behavioural, electrophysiological, neuropsychological and imaging studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev2011;35: 407-426.

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