Verbal fluency as a screening tool for mild cognitive impairment.

OBJECTIVES

The goal of this study was to evaluate the ability of semantic (animal naming) and phonemic (FAS) fluency in their ability to discriminate between normal aging, amnestic-Mild Cognitive Impairment (a-MCI), and Alzheimer's disease (AD).

DESIGN

We used binary logistic regressions, multinomial regressions, and discriminant analysis to evaluate the predictive value of semantic and phonemic fluency in regards to specific diagnostic classifications.

SETTING

Outpatient geriatric neuropsychology clinic.

PARTICIPANTS

232 participants (normal aging = 99, a-MCI = 90, AD = 43; mean age = 65.75 years).

MEASUREMENTS

Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE), Controlled Oral Word Association Test.

RESULTS

Results indicate that semantic and phonemic fluency were significant predictors of diagnostic classification, and semantic fluency explained a greater amount of the discriminant ability of the model.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that verbal fluency, particularly semantic fluency, may be an accurate and efficient tool in screening for early dementia in time-limited medical settings.