Sex Difference in Cognitive Aging for Letter Fluency and Semantic Fluency

Abstract

This study examined the sex difference in cognitive aging for verbal abilities. To examine developmental changes on Letter Fluency (LFT) and Semantic Fluency (SFT) tests, healthy 224 women and 139 men over 40 years old participated in this study. The results showed that performance of both sex in the 40's and 50's remained at the same level, but the performance declining for the LFT and the SFT after the 70's were not parallel. For the LFT, men showed a steep decline from 50's to 70's, whereas women showed a gradual decline from 50's to 80's. For the SFT, men showed a sharp decline from 50's to 70's and remained at a similar level after the 70's, whereas women did not show a steep performance decline from their 50's to 70's and their performance level in 70's was the same as in 80's.

Semantic loss marks early Alzheimer's disease‐related neurodegeneration in older adults without dementia

“…While two thirds of their 217 individuals with AD showed the expected reversal of the pattern, the 33% who did not show this pattern at the moment of examination scored significantly higher on the Mini‐Mental State Examination, suggesting a less severe stage of AD—potentially these individuals had not reached the state yet in which the pattern would be reversed. Performance on semantic fluency also decreased more strongly in men than women, in line with previously reported sex differences in semantic fluency decline 39 …”

“…nificantly higher on the Mini-Mental State Examination, suggesting a less severe stage of AD-potentially these individuals had not reached the state yet in which the pattern would be reversed. Performance on semantic fluency also decreased more strongly in men than women, in line with previously reported sex differences in semantic fluency decline 39. Semantic fluency decline in individuals at high risk for AD in combination with relatively maintained levels of letter fluency over time results in intersection of these trajectories at some point.…”