[Semantic and letter fluency tasks: normative data in an elderly population of 70 years old and over from the PAQUID...

Verbal fluency tasks are frequently used in neuropsychological examinations. The aim of this study was to produce norms for a normal elderly population in semantic (colors, animals, fruits, city names) and letter fluency (letters "L" and "P") tasks performed in 60 seconds.

These data were collected as part of the PAQUID cohort, a French population-based study on aging conducted in Gironde and Dordogne.

The sub-sample analyzed included 1730 non-institutionalized and non-demented subjects. Norms were calculated according to age (70-74 years, 75-79 years, >or=80 years), sex and educational level (no diploma, primary degree, secondary degree and higher). For each task, the number of correct words produced and repetition errors were analyzed.

The contribution of this work is to provide clinicians with normative scores for semantic and letter fluency tasks helpful for interpreting the performances of elderly patients consulting for cognitive disorders.