BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by memory loss and cognitive impairment. Phonological, syntactic, semantic and discursive aspects of language may also be affected. Analysis of micro- and macrolinguistic abilities of discourse may assist in diagnosing AD. The aim of this study was to identify changes in the discourse (lexical errors and syntactic index) of AD patients. METHODS: 121 elderly subjects narrated a story based on a seven-figure picture description. RESULTS: Patients with AD presented more word-finding difficulties, revisions and repetitions, and the syntactic index was lower than controls. CONCLUSION: Performance in microlinguistics at the lexical and syntactic levels was lower than expected in participants with AD.
BACKGROUND:Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by memory loss and cognitive impairment. Phonological, syntactic, semantic and discursive aspects of language may also be affected. Analysis of micro- and macrolinguistic abilities of discourse may assist in diagnosing AD. The aim of this study was to identify changes in the discourse (lexical errors and syntactic index) of ADpatients. METHODS: 121 elderly subjects narrated a story based on a seven-figure picture description. RESULTS:Patients with AD presented more word-finding difficulties, revisions and repetitions, and the syntactic index was lower than controls. CONCLUSION: Performance in microlinguistics at the lexical and syntactic levels was lower than expected in participants with AD.
Authors: Kimberly D Mueller; Rebecca L Koscik; Lindsay R Clark; Bruce P Hermann; Sterling C Johnson; Lyn S Turkstra Journal: Arch Clin Neuropsychol Date: 2018-12-01 Impact factor: 2.813