Word-association responses and severity of dementia in Alzheimer disease

To test the impairment of semantic memory in Alzheimer Disease, two groups of patients (one French and one American) were given a free-word-association task. Analysis showed a strong correlation between the scores of the Mini-Mental State Examination and an index of commonality of responses in both groups. As the severity of dementia increased, Alzheimer patients were less likely to give common responses. Our results are consistent with those of previous studies showing a relationship between dementia severity and impairment in semantic memory in Alzheimer Disease.