Intensive naming training for low-educated demented and non-demented elderly

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Gerontology
• Linguistics

Background:

• Naming difficulties, or anomia, are common in the elderly, particularly in dementia.
• Effective communication is crucial for the quality of life in older adults.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a naming training program on naming scores, response times, and response generalization in neurotypical and demented older adults.
• To compare the effects of exclusive naming training versus naming training combined with oral comprehension stimulation.

Main Methods:

• A 5-session naming training program based on retrieval practice was administered to 20 elderly participants (10 neurotypical, 10 with dementia).
• Participants were assessed before and after the intervention for naming, oral comprehension, and object manipulation.
• The study compared two conditions: exclusive naming training and naming training with oral comprehension stimulation.

Main Results:

• Elderly individuals with dementia showed improved oral naming and comprehension scores post-training, with reduced response times for trained and untrained stimuli.
• Neurotypical individuals demonstrated statistically significant improvements in comprehension time, oral naming, oral word comprehension, and object manipulation for both trained and untrained words.
• The benefits of naming training extended to untrained stimuli in both groups.

Conclusions:

• Naming training, whether exclusive or combined with oral comprehension stimulation, effectively enhances language performance in both neurotypical and demented elderly individuals.
• The retrieval practice technique used in the training program yields significant benefits, even for untrained words, suggesting robust lexical access improvements.