Longitudinal study of semantic memory in Alzheimer’s disease

doi:10.1016/j.bandl.2004.06.071

Brain and Language

Volume 91, Issue 1, October 2004, Pages 136-137

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandl.2004.06.071 Get rights and content

References (0)

Cited by (2)

A longitudinal study of semantic memory impairment in patients with Alzheimer's disease
2013, Cortex
Citation Excerpt :
Identical tests of semantic memory and identical test items were used on all three test occasions, and thus both task demands and semantic representations tested were the same over time. More recently, longitudinal studies assessing semantic memory have demonstrated a loss of semantic attributes over time (Giffard et al., 2002; Moore et al., 2004). However, the question about access or loss has not been explicitly addressed in these studies.
The present study explored the nature of the semantic deterioration normally displayed in the course of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The aim was to disentangle the extent to which semantic memory problems in patients with AD are best characterized as loss of semantic knowledge rather than difficulties in accessing semantic knowledge.
A longitudinal approach was applied. The same semantic tests as well as same items were used across three test occasions a year apart. Twelve Alzheimer patients and 20 matched control subjects, out of a total of 25 cases in each group, remained at the final test occasion.
Alzheimer patients were impaired in all the semantic tasks as compared to the matched comparison group. A progressing deterioration was evident during the study period. Our findings suggest that semantic impairment is mainly due to loss of information rather than problems in accessing semantic information.
Object-Based Practice Effects Recover the Graphic Object Concept in Alzheimer’s Dementia
2022, Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts

View full text