Normative data for highly educated older adults in phonemic and semantic fluency tests

Area of Science:

• Neuropsychology
• Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

• Verbal fluency tests are crucial for neuropsychological evaluation and detecting cognitive decline.
• Existing normative data may not fully represent Brazil's diverse population, particularly concerning educational variations.
• Educational background is known to influence verbal fluency test performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish normative data for verbal fluency tests in highly educated older adults in Brazil.
• To investigate the impact of sex, age, and education on test outcomes.
• To provide culturally relevant data for accurate cognitive assessment.

Main Methods:

• 147 healthy older adults (≥12 years education) participated.
• Phonemic (F, A, S) and semantic (animals, fruits) verbal fluency tests were administered.
• Participants were categorized by educational level: High School (12 years) and Higher Education (>12 years).

Main Results:

• Normative data presented as means and percentiles for all tests.
• Performance on semantic fluency (animals, fruits) and phonemic fluency (A, S) correlated with educational background.
• Phonemic fluency performance for the letter S was also associated with sex.

Conclusions:

• The study offers relevant normative data for highly educated older adults in Brazil for executive function assessment.
• Findings reinforce the significant influence of educational background on verbal fluency test results.
• This research contributes to more accurate cognitive screening in diverse populations.