Confrontation Naming Performance Research Articles

Higher Cerebrospinal Fluid Levels of Amyloid-β40 Following Traumatic Brain Injury Relate to Confrontation Naming Performance.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) may confer risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD) through amyloid-β (Aβ) overproduction. However, the relationship between TBI and Aβ levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) remains unclear. To explore whether Aβ overproduction is implicated in the relationship between TBI and AD, we compared CSF levels of Aβ in individuals with a TBI history versus controls (CTRLs) and related CSF Aβ levels to cognitive markers associated with preclinical AD. Participants were 112 non-impaired Veterans (TBI = 56, CTRL = 56) from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative-Department of Defense database with available cognitive data (Boston Naming Test [BNT], Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test [AVLT]) and CSF measures of Aβ42, Aβ40, and Aβ38. Mediation models explored relationships between TBI history and BNT scores with Aβ peptides as mediators. The TBI group had higher CSF Aβ40 (t = -2.43, p = 0.017) and Aβ38 (t = -2.10, p = 0.038) levels than the CTRL group, but groups did not differ in CSF Aβ42 levels or Aβ42/Aβ40 ratios (p > 0.05). Both Aβ peptides negatively correlated with BNT (Aβ40: rho = -0.20, p = 0.032; Aβ38: rho = -0.19, p = 0.048) but not AVLT (p > 0.05). Aβ40 had a significant indirect effect on the relationship between TBI and BNT performance (β= -0.16, 95% CI [-0.393, -0.004], PM = 0.54). TBI may increase AD risk and cognitive vulnerability through Aβ overproduction. Biomarker models incorporating multiple Aβ peptides may help identify AD risk among those with TBI.

Predicting Confrontation Naming in the Logopenic Variant of Primary Progressive Aphasia

ABSTRACT Background Naming difficulties are prominent and pervasive in the logopenic variant of primary progressive aphasia (lvPPA) and may reflect its underlying deficits in phonological processing. Importantly, some words appear to be more vulnerable to deterioration than others. We hypothesize that these differences can be explained, in part, by the unique psycholinguistic properties of words. Aims Our study investigated the role of psycholinguistic properties of words, along with their underlying psycholinguistic factors, in predicting confrontation naming performance in individuals with lvPPA. Methods & Procedures Naming accuracy data were collected from 14 individuals with lvPPA using the Boston Naming Test (BNT). For each test item, values were extracted for frequency, age of acquisition (AoA), familiarity, word length, phonological neighborhood density (PND), semantic neighborhood density (SND), arousal, and valence. We examined the effects of these psycholinguistic properties on naming accuracy using logistic regression analyses at the individual level and multiple linear regression analysis at the group level. Further, we performed mediation analyses to examine the mediating contributions of related psycholinguistic properties on naming accuracy. Finally, principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to extract fundamental factors of the psycholinguistic properties. These factor scores were entered into regression analyses to investigate their relative contribution to naming accuracy in lvPPA. Outcomes & Results Age of acquisition emerged as the strongest psycholinguistic predictor of naming accuracy in lvPPA at both the individual and group levels. The influence of AoA on naming accuracy was only partially mediated by frequency. Three principal psycholinguistic factors were extracted from the PCA. These were interpreted as “lexical-semantic usage”, “phonological complexity”, and “emotional intensity”. Results indicated that “lexical-semantic usage” and “emotional intensity” predicted naming performance at both the individual and group levels. Conclusions Age of acquisition has been associated with the phonological level in models of word naming. The observed psycholinguistic effects on naming accuracy are discussed in the context of phonological deficits in lvPPA and models of word naming.

A-184 Increased Cerebrospinal Fluid Levels of Amyloid Following Traumatic Brain Injury are Associated with Confrontation Naming Performance

Abstract Objective: To explore whether beta-amyloid (AB) overproduction is implicated in the relationship between traumatic brain injury (TBI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), we compared cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of AB in individuals with a TBI history versus controls (CTRLs) and related CSF AB levels to confrontation naming performance, a pseudo-marker for preclinical AD. Method: We selected 113 non-impaired Veterans (TBI=57, CTRL=56) from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative-Department of Defense database with available Boston Naming Test (BNT) data and CSF measures for three AB peptides (AB-42, AB-40, AB-38). Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) compared CSF AB levels between groups adjusting for age. Spearman’s correlations related CSF AB levels to BNT performance. Three separate mediation models explored the relationship between TBI and BNT performance with each AB peptide as a mediator. Results: The TBI group had higher CSF AB-40 (F=5.20, p=0.02) and AB-38 (F=3.78, p=0.05) levels than the CTRL group, but groups did not significantly differ in CSF AB-42 levels (p>0.1). BNT was negatively correlated with all three AB peptides (AB-42: rho=-0.28, p=0.003; AB-40: rho=-0.20, p=0.03; AB-38: rho=-0.19, p=0.05). Mediation models showed a significant indirect effect of TBI on BNT performance through AB-40 (B=-0.16, 95% CI [-0.391, -0.007], PM = 0.54). TBI positively affected AB-40 levels (B=0.45, p=0.02), and AB-40 levels, in turn, negatively affected BNT performance (B=-0.14, p=0.04). Indirect effects of TBI on BNT performance with AB-42 or AB-38 as mediators were not significant. Conclusions: TBI may increase risk of AD-related cognitive decline through AB overabundance in the brain, as evidenced by elevated CSF AB levels, particularly AB-40.

A-46 The Influence of Acculturation on Mexicans and Guatemalans Cordoba Naming Test Performance

Abstract Objective The United States carries a diverse Latinx population. This population largely consists of Mexicans however, there has been a population decrease since 2010. Though, the Guatemalan population has increased since 2010 and has become the third most growing population in the United States. Previous research shows that level of acculturation influences neuropsychological test performance. The Córdoba Naming Test (CNT) is a confrontation naming test created for Spanish-speakers. We examined the relationship between acculturation and CNT performance in a Latinx sample that immigrated to the United States. Method The sample consisted of 44 Mexicans and 14 Guatemalans that were neurologically and psychologically healthy residents. All the participants completed the CNT and the Abbreviated Multidimensional Acculturation Scale (AMAS) in Spanish. ANOVAs were used to examine CNT performance and acculturation on the AMAS subscales. Results Results revealed the Guatemalan immigrant group outperformed the Mexican immigrant group on the CNT, p = 0.035, ηp2 = 0.08. Additionally, we found that on the English language subscale of the AMAS, the Mexican immigrant group reported higher English language levels than the Guatemalan immigrant group, p = 0.002, ηp2 = 0.16. Conclusion Our findings showed that Guatemalans demonstrated better CNT performance compared to Mexicans. To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine confrontation naming performance in a Latinx immigrant sample. Furthermore, we found that Mexicans reported higher English language compared to Guatemalans. Future research on the CNT with larger samples should investigate possible interactions between acculturation and other cultural variables (e.g., bilingualism) in the interpretation of test performance in a Latinx immigrant population.

A-48 Examining the Relationship between Ethnicity, Perceived Workload, and Acculturation on Cordoba Naming Test Performance

Abstract Objective Confrontation naming tests are used to examine an individual’s lexical retrieval. We examined the relationship of perceived workload and acculturation in three ethnic groups’ Cordoba Naming Test (CNT) performance. Methods The sample consisted of 32 Latinx, 11 Caucasians, and 10 Asian; all neurologically and psychologically healthy residents. All participants completed the CNT and subscales of the Abbreviated Multidimensional Acculturation Scale (AMAS) in English. AMAS was used to measure acculturation and the NASA-Task Load Index (NASA TLX) measured perceived workload. Results The CNT showed that the Caucasian group outperformed the Latinx group, p = 0.024, ηp2 = 0.14. However, the Latinx group reported better CNT performance compared to the Caucasian group, p = 0.023, ηp2 = 0.14. No differences were found between groups on the AMAS. Finally, we found a significant relationship between CNT and NASA-TLX subscales (i.e., performance, mental demand, effort, frustration, & overall perceived workload) in the Latinx group, r = −0.562 to −0.398, p < 0.05. Discussion Results showed the Latinx group demonstrated worse CNT performance compared to the Caucasian group. To our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate confrontation naming performance in an ethnically diverse sample. Furthermore, we found the Latinx group reported a higher perceived performance on the CNT compared to Caucasians. Our results indicated a relationship between CNT performance and perceived workload in our Latinx sample as opposed to the Caucasian and Asian groups. Future research is needed with a larger sample size; moreover, additional research should investigate interactions between perceived workload, acculturation, and other cultural variables (e.g., bilingualism) in the interpretation of test performance in diverse ethnic groups.

Subcortical lesions impact confrontation naming in bilinguals with later age of acquisition: An exploratory study

The bilingual experience is believed to impact brain development and, possibly, cognitive performance. Subcortical structures, including the striatum and white matter, are believed related to confrontation naming performance among bilingual individuals with later age of acquisition (AoA) and lower proficiency of a second language (L2). However, these findings are primarily derived from healthy adult samples, although there is clinical significance for the interpretation of naming performance. The present study examined whether striatal and white matter lesions were associated with naming tasks in clinic-referred bilingual veterans (n = 29) and whether L2 AoA moderated this relationship. Clinically rated lesions, without regard for AoA, were not consistently correlated with naming performance. Moderation models (lesion × AoA) were significant across naming tasks (i.e., naming scores were negatively correlated with striatal lesions with increasing AoA). Effect sizes were higher among striatal models as compared to white matter models. Results extend prior neuroimaging findings with healthy bilinguals that AoA moderates the relationship between subcortical lesions and naming performance in bilingual patients, and suggests that clinicians should consider specifics of bilingual experience when interpreting test scores.

Slow and Steady Does Not Always Win the Race: Investigating the Effect of Processing Speed across Five Naming Tests.

This retrospective study investigated the effect of processing speed on confrontation naming performance via five naming tests with varying time components. The effect of processing speed, as measured by the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition Processing Speed Index (PSI), and cognitive impairment were examined using Boston Naming Test, Neuropsychological Assessment Battery Naming Test, Visual Naming Test (VNT), Auditory Naming Test (ANT), and Woodcock-Johnson III Rapid Picture Naming (RPN) performance among a mixed clinical sample of 115 outpatient veterans. PSI scores accounted for 5%-26% of the total variance in naming test performances. Comparison of cognitively impaired versus unimpaired participants found significant differences and medium to large effect sizes (η2=.08-.20) for all naming measures except ANT tip-of-the-tongue responses. After controlling for the effect processing speed, VNT tip-of-the-tongue responses also became non-significant, whereas significant group differences remained present for all other naming test scores, albeit with notably smaller effects sizes (η2=.06-.10). Confrontation naming test performance is related to cognitive processing speed, although the magnitude of this effect varies by the demands of each naming test (i.e., largest for RPN; smallest for VNT). Thus, results argue that processing speed is important to consider for accurate clinical interpretation of naming tests, especially in the context of cognitive impairment.

Lexicon before and after epilepsy surgery in adolescents.

Poor performance on confrontation naming tasks by children and adolescents with pharmacologically intractable epilepsy has been interpreted as indicating impairments of lexicon, that is, the store of words in long-term memory. However, confrontation naming performance crucially depends not only on word knowledge but also on other functions such as fluency. We applied an alternative method to assess lexicon with the aim of tracing deficits in lexicon before and after surgery in adolescents with pharmacologically intractable epilepsy. Sixteen patients and 32 age- and sex-matched controls completed the Dutch version of the controlled oral word production task. Responses were used to calculate indices of lexical fluency (retrieval efficiency), lexical breadth (vocabulary size), and lexical depth (knowledge of word properties), as well as use of search strategies. Adolescents with pharmacologically intractable epilepsy had lower lexical fluency scores than healthy peers, but did not differ from them on the dimensions of lexical breadth and lexical depth. Patients demonstrated reduced use of search strategies. In fact, the difference in lexical fluency between patients and controls disappeared after controlling for Full Scale IQ (obtained using the Dutch version of the 3rd edition of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IIINL; Kort et al., 2005; Wechsler, 2002) or-for older children-the Dutch version of the first edition of the Kaufman Adult and Adolescent Intelligence Test (KAIT; Kaufman & Kaufman, 1993; Mulder, Dekker, & Dekker, 2004) and use of search strategies. In patients, changes in the use of the antiepileptic drug carbamazepine were associated with lexical fluency. Adolescents with pharmacologically intractable epilepsy differ from their healthy peers mainly in lexical fluency, rather than word knowledge per se. (PsycINFO Database Record

The effect of perceptual reasoning abilities on confrontation naming performance: An examination of three naming tests

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Confrontation naming tests are a common neuropsychological method of assessing language and a critical diagnostic tool in identifying certain neurodegenerative diseases; however, there is limited literature examining the visual–perceptual demands of these tasks. This study investigated the effect of perceptual reasoning abilities on three confrontation naming tests, the Boston Naming Test (BNT), Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (NAB) Naming Test, and Visual Naming Test (VNT) to elucidate the diverse cognitive functions underlying these tasks to assist with test selection procedures and increase diagnostic accuracy. Method: A mixed clinical sample of 121 veterans were administered the BNT, NAB, VNT, and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale–4th Edition (WAIS–IV) Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI) and Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI) as part of a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation. Results: Multiple regression indicated that PRI accounted for 23%, 13%, and 15% of the variance in BNT, VNT, and NAB scores, respectively, but dropped out as a significant predictor once VCI was added. Follow-up bootstrap mediation analyses revealed that PRI had a significant indirect effect on naming performance after controlling education, primary language, and severity of cognitive impairment, as well as the mediating effect of general verbal abilities for the BNT (B = 0.13; 95% confidence interval, CI [.07, .20]), VNT (B = 0.01; 95% CI [.002, .03]), and NAB (B = 0.03; 95% CI [.01, .06]). Conclusions: Findings revealed a complex relationship between perceptual reasoning abilities and confrontation naming that is mediated by general verbal abilities. However, when verbal abilities were statistically controlled, perceptual reasoning abilities were found to have a significant indirect effect on performance across all three confrontation naming measures with the largest effect noted with the BNT relative to the VNT and NAB Naming Test.

Is Confrontation Naming Performance in Alzheimer’s Disease the Nominal Linguistic Retrogenesis of Normal Development?

We investigated confrontation naming performance of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and normal children (NC) to see if the nature of naming performance of AD patients is the reversal of that in normal development. Sixty items of the Boston Naming Test were given to 78 AD patients (and 40 age- and education-matched normal elderly) and 1,080 NC (3- to 14-year-olds). The analyses revealed that, firstly, the naming abilities of the AD patients demonstrated an inverse relationship with those of the NC. Secondly, from the clinical point of view, AD patients tended to lose vocabulary acquired later first while maintaining those acquired in earlier stages of development. Based on the findings, we claimed that this phenomenon was ‘a nominal retrogenesis’ in which ‘retrogenesis’ is ‘the process by which degenerative mechanisms reverse the order of acquisition in normal development’ as defined by Reisberg and colleagues.

Fixed-interval and randomized-interval spaced retrieval training seem to have comparable outcomes for improving confrontation naming performance in three persons with aphasia, but the jury is still out1

Fixed-interval and randomized-interval spaced retrieval training seem to have comparable outcomes for improving confrontation naming performance in three persons with aphasia, but the jury is still out1

Investigating temporal lobe contribution to confrontation naming using MRI quantitative volumetrics

Confrontation naming ability entails the operation of distinct cognitive operations and the integrity of a distributed neural network. Previous research has indicated a critical role for the left temporal lobe region in naming ability, but there is less agreement about the relative role of distinct temporal lobe regions. In the current paper, we used quantitative MR volumetrics to investigate the relative contribution of the hippocampus and extrahippocampal temporal lobe (segmented gray and white matter) volumes to confrontation naming performance in 53 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. Findings showed (1) a stronger relationship for left temporal lobe volume than right temporal lobe volume in predicting naming performance; (2) both left temporal lobe white matter volume and left hippocampus volume contributed a significant amount of unique variance to spontaneous naming performance; and (3) left temporal lobe white matter volume but not left hippocampus volume predicted recognition naming performance.

Determinants of Confrontation Naming Performance

Determinants of Confrontation Naming Performance

Determinants of Confrontation Naming Performance

Confrontation naming tests are commonly employed in neuropsychological assessment. Surprisingly little work has been done, however, to determine how various demographic, linguistic, and disease status variables influence patterns of performance on these tests. The present study examined data on the Boston Naming Test (BNT) from a total of 1,131 subjects, including 719 normals, 325 patients with Alzheimer's disease, and 87 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. The effects of age, education, gender, and diagnostic group were examined with respect to overall scores, the influence of phonemic cuing, and performance on individual items. Profiles of scores on individual items were similar across diagnostic groups, suggesting that anomia is characterized by quantitative rather than qualitative changes in naming performance. Age and education systematically influenced scores. There was a significant effect of gender across diagnostic groups (males scoring higher than females), which appears to be due to performance on specific items. Phonemic cuing effects were similar across groups. The results are discussed with respect to the neuropsychological construct of confrontation naming and the clinical interpretation of performance on the BNT.

Picture naming of cognate and non-cognate nouns in bilingual aphasia

Previous research has found differences in the speed and accuracy of responses involving concrete cognate nouns and non-cognate nouns in a range of written and “on-line” tasks using neurologically unimpaired, bilingual adults. The present study investigated whether cognateness affects verbal confrontation naming performance in balanced French/English bilinguals ( N = 15 aphasic and 15 non-aphasic subjects). Subjects met selection criteria for equal proficiency, regular use, and early acquisition of both languages. Results of a picture naming test show that cognate pictures were more often correctly named in both languages than were non-cognates. Some error types and self-correction behaviors also varied with cognate status. There were similarities between the results of this study and those of previous studies of monolingual naming. Some error types and self-correction strategies appear to be unique to bilingual speakers. Theoretical questions and treatment applications arising from these findings are outlined.

An investigation of confrontation naming performance in Alzheimer's dementia as a function of disease severity

The confrontation naming performance of persons with dementia of the Alzheimer's type (DAT) is a widely investigated area, yet considerable confusion remains as to the precise nature of the breakdown, in particular whether the deficit is related to either a procedural or structural semantic deficit that remains uniform over the course of the disease. The present study undertook a detailed error analysis of the naming responses of 23 subjects with DAT, grouped on the basis of their dementia severity into three groups of mild (n = 8), moderate (n = 7), and moderately severe (n = 8), to investigate the pattern of progression of anemia in DAT. The results provided strong support for the proposal that anemia in DAT changes both quantitatively and qualitatively over the course of the disease, with the naming responses of subjects severely affected by the disease reflecting increased compromise of core semantic structures and processes. In the milder stages of DAT, however, the anemia is characterized by deficits in the procedural routines used to interrogate information in the semantic representation. That these procedural deficits in early-stage DAT are related to disruption of the centralized higher-order cognitive process of attention is suggested, but requires further empirical validation.

Naming in dementia secondary to Parkinson's, Huntington's, and Alzheimer's diseases

Confrontation naming problems have been found in patients with dementia secondary to Alzheimer's (AD), Huntington's (HD), and in a subset of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with dementia. The source of the naming deficit has not been established. The “Perception” and the “Semantic Feature” theories have been proposed to explain this naming dysfunction. Subjects with dementia secondary to AD, HD, and PD were given three tasks to determine which theory best explained the source of confrontation naming problems. The three tasks including picture matching, visual recognition, and confrontation naming were given to 42 subjects with dementia secondary to AD, HD, and PD controlled for severity of dementia, and to age-matched controls. Subjects with dementia did not have significantly more difficulty matching pictures but did have more difficulty associating pictures through semantic features. Subjects with mild dementia secondary to AD and HD had significantly more confrontation naming errors than subjects with mild dementia secondary to PD and normal controls. All subjects with moderate dementia had significantly more confrontation naming errors than normal controls. Statistical power may have been limited due to the small number of subjects in each group. The source of the reduction in confrontation naming performance in subjects with dementia secondary to AD, HD, and PD originated in the deterioration of semantic fields. The perception theory was rejected as findings were consistent with the semantic feature theory.

Normative data on the boston naming test for elderly adults in a demographically diverse medical sample

Abstract Boston Naming Test normative data for 123 elderly adults are provided for use in urban, demographically diverse, medical settings. Study 1 examined the association between demographic variables and confrontation naming performance. Age, education, ethnicity, and gender were all found to be significant predictors of Boston Naming Test performance. The combined effects of demographic variables accounted for 21% of Boston Naming Test variance beyond that explained by general cognitive abilities. The Boston Naming Test scores obtained from this sample were much lower than those reported in previous samples (e.g., Van Gorp, Satz, Kiersch, & Henry, 1986), with much greater variance. Study 2 examined the utility of the BNT to differentiate the present normative sample from an additional sample of cognitively impaired persons. Despite substantial demographic and health status differences between the present normative sample and previous samples, the BNT discriminated cognitively intact persons from cogni...

Decline in Homophone Spelling Associated with Loss of Semantic Influence on Spelling in Alzheimer′s Disease

The homophone spellings of 20 subjects with Alzheimer′s disease (AD) and mild dementia were compared to those of matched normal controls. Both groups were tested once (Time 1) and then again 9 months to 1 year later (Time 2). At Time 1, AD subjects misspelled more homophones than the control group and the discrepancy between the two groups′ performances significantly increased by Time 2. Two types of errors were tabulated: homophone confusions (i.e. an inappropriate yet correctly spelled homophone given the context, such as spelling doe, given the context "bake the bread dough") and other spelling errors (e.g. doue, dogh). The relationship between homophone confusions and confrontation naming increased from Time 1 to Time 2. In contrast, the relationship between the number of spelling errors (that were not homophone confusions) and confrontation naming performance was not significant at Time 2. One subgroup of 3 subjects showed an increase in homophone confusions and confrontational naming errors and not more spelling errors. Another subgroup of 4 subjects showed neither an increase in homophone confusions nor in confrontational naming errors, but did show an increase in spelling errors. Based on these results, we suggest that homophone confusions are primarily due to impairment of semantic access to a functional orthographic output lexicon. Other spelling errors may reflect post-linguistic spelling deficits without a significant change in the use of semantic input for spelling homophones.

Early naming deficits, developmental dyslexia, and a specific deficit hypothesis

The present research represents the final 2 years of a 5-year longitudinal investigation of (a) confrontation-based, word-retrieval deficits in dyslexic children; (b) the role of vocabulary development in these deficits; (c) the relationship between confrontation naming performance and three carefully defined aspects of reading performance in the general population and in eight dyslexic case studies; and (d) the possible specificity of word-retrieval deficits in dyslexia. Results indicate enduring problems in word-retrieval processes for dyslexic children across the primary grades and into middle childhood. Second, these deficits cannot be explained by simple vocabulary deficits. Third, these results in conjunction with our earlier data consolidate a pattern of differential relationships between specific reading and confrontation naming skills that are based on development and on the level of processes involved. Trends within case studies suggest the more pronounced the retrieval deficit, the more global the reading impairment. And fourth, there appear to be some specific differences in the basis of word-retrieval problems between dyslexic and garden-variety or lower achieving readers. Results are discussed within a speculative framework that implicates problems in timing as a possible predetermining condition in the dyslexias.