Use of a modified version of the switching verbal fluency test for the assessment of cognitive flexibility

Paula, Jonas Jardim de; Paiva, Gabrielle Chequer de Castro; Costa, Danielle de Souza

doi:10.1590/1980-57642015dn93000008

Cited by 33 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Additionally, the prediction analysis highlights the component of processing speed during SPM which was not identified by correlation analysis. In congruence with these results, previous studies have linked VF with cognitive flexibility 21,53,54 . Paula et al 21 investigated this relationship in healthy adults, using simple and switching semantic VF tasks and three different EF tests, including the TMT.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

“…In congruence with these results, previous studies have linked VF with cognitive flexibility 21,53,54 . Paula et al 21 investigated this relationship in healthy adults, using simple and switching semantic VF tasks and three different EF tests, including the TMT. They found that this particular measure of cognitive flexibility correlated well with both simple and switching VF tasks.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

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Executive functions predict verbal fluency scores in healthy participants

Amunts

Camilleri

Eickhoff

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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While there is a clear link between impairments of executive functions (EFs), i.e. cognitive control mechanisms that facilitate goal-directed behavior, and speech problems, it is so far unclear exactly which of the complex subdomains of EFs most strongly contribute to speech performance, as measured by verbal fluency (VF) tasks. Furthermore, the impact of intra-individual variability is largely unknown. This study on healthy participants (n = 235) shows that the use of a relevance vector machine approach allows for the prediction of VF performance from EF scores. Based on a comprehensive set of EF scores, results identified cognitive flexibility and inhibition as well as processing speed as strongest predictors for VF performance, but also highlighted a modulatory influence of fluctuating hormone levels. These findings demonstrate that speech production performance is strongly linked to specific EF subdomains, but they also suggest that inter-individual differences should be taken into account. Executive functions (EFs) refer to a set of cognitive processes that allow for goal-directed behavior through the regulation of various cognitive subprocesses. Since EFs permeate behavior, they also impact daily activities as well as social and personal development, including school or job success 1. The importance and pervasiveness of EFs has led different fields of study to investigate these control mechanisms with the goal of differentiating the various subdomains of EFs. This, in turn, has resulted in a number of different conceptualizations based on different approaches, all attempting to subdivide EFs into different domains. While a consensus does not yet exist about how exactly to subdivide and name EFs, there is general agreement that there are three core EFs: (1) cognitive flexibility, (2) working memory and (3) inhibition 1 (but see Karr et al. 2,3). Higher-order EFs, such as reasoning, planning and problem solving, are then built on the basis of these subdomains. The various sub-domains of EFs have been shown to be impaired in a number of neurological and psychiatric diseases, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) 4 , Parkinson's disease 5 , depression 6 and schizophrenia 7. Different diseases present their own typical EF deficits and clinical diagnosis attempts to assess the specific patterns of the disease. For example, in the case of Parkinson's disease, patients suffer from difficulties in dual-tasking which is reflected in the deficient combination of memorizing and manipulation of thoughts and tasks 8 but also in impaired speech characterized by semantic paraphasias and reduced word fluency due to a lack of EFs 5,9. To assess these symptoms different test batteries have been developed. These batteries, which include tests tapping into the different EF sub-domains, are used for neuropsychological assessment in both clinical settings and lab-based environments. Commonly used batteries are the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS) and the Vienna Test System, both of which offer a w...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Executive functions predict verbal fluency scores in healthy participants

Amunts

Camilleri

Eickhoff

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Supplementary Tables 1 , 2 shows the scores in specific neuropsychological tests and functional status in each ADL. Performance of NA participants were relatively similar to what is expected for older adults with low formal education, according to Brazilian normative studies, but lower than what is expected for young adults (Brucki and Rocha, 2004 ; Banhato and Nascimento, 2007 ; Malloy-Diniz et al, 2007b ; Aprahamian et al, 2009 ; Moreira et al, 2011 ; de Paula et al, 2015b ).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 53%

A Reanalysis of Cognitive-Functional Performance in Older Adults: Investigating the Interaction Between Normal Aging, Mild Cognitive Impairment, Mild Alzheimer's Disease Dementia, and Depression

et al. 2016

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Depressive symptoms are associated with cognitive-functional impairment in normal aging older adults (NA). However, less is known about this effect on people with mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and mild Alzheimer's disease dementia (AD). We investigated this relationship along with the NA-MCI-AD continuum by reanalyzing a previously published dataset. Participants (N = 274) underwent comprehensive neuropsychological assessment including measures of Executive Function, Language/Semantic Memory, Episodic Memory, Visuospatial Abilities, Activities of Daily Living (ADL), and the Geriatric Depression Scale. MANOVA, logistic regression and chi-square tests were performed to assess the association between depression and cognitive-functional performance in each group. In the NA group, depressed participants had a lower performance compared to non-depressed participants in all cognitive and functional domains. However, the same pattern was not observed in the MCI group or in AD. The results suggest a progressive loss of association between depression and worse cognitive-functional performance along the NA-MCI-AD continuum.

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“…Performance on this task has been shown to correlate with other forms of task switching 27 . The dependent variable for this test is the total number of words accurately generated 28 .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Awareness of cognitive impairment in individuals with essential tremor

Azar

Bertrand

Louis

et al. 2017

Journal of the Neurological Sciences

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Objective The extent to which individuals with ET who have clinically significant cognitive impairment are aware of their cognitive changes is unclear. Reduced awareness has important implications for everyday function and decision-making. Methods 150 individuals with ET (109 Normal Cognition (ET-NC group), and 30 with MCI and 11 dementia (ET-CI group)) completed self-ratings and objective assessments of memory, language, and executive functioning. Discrepancy scores were calculated to assess awareness of cognitive functioning. One sample t-tests evaluated whether mean discrepancy scores in each group were comparable to zero (i.e., accurate). Analyses of Covariance(ANCOVA) compared discrepancy scores across two groups controlling for age and education. Results In the ET-NC group, discrepancy scores for language (M=−0.08, SD=1.10) and executive functioning (M=−0.01, SD=0.99) were comparable to zero. Memory discrepancy scores (M=0.32, SD=1.22) were greater than zero. In the ET-CI group, memory, (M=0.78, SD=1.01), language, (M=0.46, SD=0.95), and executive (M=0.39, SD=1.14) discrepancy scores were all greater than zero. Discrepancy scores were larger in ET-CI group than in ET-NC group for memory: F(1,148)=4.02, p=0.047, language: F(1,148)=6.16, p=0.014, and executive: F(1,148)=4.51, p=0.035. Conclusions Individuals with ET and normal cognition accurately assessed their language and executive abilities, demonstrating mild overconfidence in memory function. Individuals with ET and cognitive impairment overestimated their performance in all domains of functioning. Since ET is linked to increased risk for cognitive impairment, and such impairment may not be accurately perceived, cognitive functioning should be proactively and regularly screened in ET.

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Use of a modified version of the switching verbal fluency test for the assessment of cognitive flexibility

Cited by 33 publications

References 40 publications

Executive functions predict verbal fluency scores in healthy participants

Executive functions predict verbal fluency scores in healthy participants

A Reanalysis of Cognitive-Functional Performance in Older Adults: Investigating the Interaction Between Normal Aging, Mild Cognitive Impairment, Mild Alzheimer's Disease Dementia, and Depression

Awareness of cognitive impairment in individuals with essential tremor

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