A - 32 Impact of Demographic Factors in African American (AA) Older Adults in Relation to Confrontational Naming Deficits on an Object Naming Task.

Abstract

Dysnomia, or complaints of word-finding difficulties for names, places, and objects is common in patients with Alzheimer's Disease (ad). This common characteristic makes confrontational naming a fundamental component of neuropsychological assessment in aging populations. The Multilingual Naming Test (MINT) detects naming impairments at various stages of cognitive decline. However, our understanding of how performance varies based on education, is sparse. Authors evaluated the sensitivity of the MINT in predicting naming impairments in AA in relation to education levels. 842 cognitively unimpaired (CU) and 413 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) AA elders were administered the MINT as part of the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center neuropsychological battery. The MINT consists of 32 items of ascending difficulty that participants must name spontaneously. Semantic and phonemic cues are given in the absence of immediate responses. A 5-number MEANS analysis was used to measure differences among CU and MCI stratifying by education level. Overall naming scores were consistently lower in cohorts with lower education across diagnosis. Unsurprisingly CU participants outperformed MCI counterparts. More sensitive tools are needed to detect cognitive functioning changes in individuals with lower education levels. The MINT offers a novel approach in detecting confrontational naming deficits in those at risk of developing ad, but norms accounting for scholastic attainment are necessary to accurately diagnose minority populations with varying education levels. Further research is required to validate the MINT in participants with diverse backgrounds, low literacy levels and other factors that could affect quality of formative education.