Verbal fluency with high executive load for early dementia’s risk detection

Abstract

Verbal fluency (VF) tasks are fundamental instruments in the assessment of cognitive functioning (Demetriou & Holtzer, Reference Demetriou and Holtzer2017), specifically in the elderly, due to their ability to identify the speed of access to the mental lexicon, to assess its integrity, as well as the integrity of semantic memory. VF tasks also involve executive functions, such as updating, inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility and self-regulation (Aiello et al., Reference Aiello, Preti, Pucci, Diana, Corvaglia, Barattieri di San Pietro and Bolognini2022; Costa et al., Reference Costa, Bagoj, Monaco, Zabberoni, De Rosa, Papantonio and Carlesimo2014; Henry, Crawford & Phillips, Reference Henry, Crawford and Phillips2004; Lam & Marquardt, Reference Lam and Marquardt2022; Shao, Janse, Visser & Meyer, Reference Shao, Janse, Visser and Meyer2014; Troyer, Reference Troyer2000). There are four VF variants (grammatical, phonological, categorical/semantic and combined forms), a specific amount of time to do the task (usually, 60 seconds) and rules defining what cannot be done during evocation. [...]