Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Examining the Characteristics of Episodic Memory using Event-related Potentials in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease
Published on: August 30, 2011
On the preservation of syntax in Alzheimer's disease. Evidence from written sentences
S Kemper1, E LaBarge, F R Ferraro
1Department of Psychology, University of Kansas, Lawrence.
Abstract:
We examined the syntactic complexity of single written sentences elicited from 368 adults undergoing examination for possible Alzheimer's disease. The clause length and composition of the sentences varied with the severity of dementia. The nondemented adults' sentences contained more propositions, main and secondary verbs, and conjunctions than those produced by the mildly and moderately demented adults. Sentence length in clauses, propositional content, and the use of conjunctions and main and secondary verbs discriminated among stages of the severity of the disease. The present results suggest that, while dementia severity affects written linguistic output, such output is, nonetheless, grammatic and coherent.
Related Concept Videos
Alzheimer's Disease: Overview
The clinical diagnosis of AD hinges on the presence of memory and other cognitive impairments. Biomarkers, such as changes in Aβ and tau...
Alzheimer's Disease: Treatment
Dementia
The progression of dementia is generally gradual.
Alzheimer Disease l: Introduction
Alzheimer Disease ll: Pathophysiology
Dementia l: Introduction

