Age and diabetes related changes in verbal fluency.

Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus is present in 7-10% of the aged. This disease appears to be associated with an acceleration of the aging process and results in compromised performance on learning and memory tasks. The present study used a verbal fluency test to examine semantic memory performance in two age groups (55-64 and 65-74 years) of diabetic subjects and controls. In addition, immediate and secondary memory were also examined using the digit symbol and digit span tests and a serial learning task. Results showed that digit symbol performance was poorer for older subjects and diabetics while serial learning was poorer only for diabetic subjects. However, the number of words generated on the verbal fluency test was similar for all groups. Qualitative analyses of the verbal output revealed that older subjects and diabetics produced the greatest number of previously recited words (repetitions). Repetitions may signal a failure to adequately monitor behavior which in turn could contribute to cognitive decline.