Word List Research Articles

Cultural specificities of online dictionaries for English learners: Evidence from a user survey and a multimodal discourse analysis

Abstract This study examines three popular e-dictionary platforms using a quantitative user survey coupled with a qualitative multimodal discourse analysis (MDA): Chinese Youdao, Cambridge English-Mandarin Chinese Dictionary (Cambridge), and the Free Dictionary (FD). The survey (N = 478) revealed that, despite its language flaws, Youdao was preferred by most Chinese EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners mainly due to its search functionality and personalization. In contrast, English majors and postgraduates preferred Cambridge for its reliability and multimodal resources. FD ranked the lowest in popularity mainly for perceived inconvenience of searching and less accessibility of personalized functions. Multinomial logistic regressions and structural equation modelling showed that dictionary selection by users was contingent upon their perception of its features and their use strategies. Furthermore, MDA revealed how each dictionary contributed to the construction of a cultural identity. Youdao seemed to be a toolbox for personal use, with raw texts of varying quality, but with a clear and practical vision, in addition to customization options. Cambridge portrayed itself as a welcoming language community through appealing imagery, interactive options, and diverse navigational styles. FD was comparable to a dynamic and cluttered library, archiving large blocks of hyperlinked texts and word lists accompanied by musical animations. In brief, multimodal and cultural factors partially explained Chinese EFL learners’ preferences for a specific dictionary, highlighting the importance of adaptation to the linguistic and cultural background of the user, including customization. A general cultural and semiotic framework is proposed to examine the representation of cultural identity in e-dictionaries.

The Wancho language of Kamhua Noknu village

Abstract This article compares the word list collected by and published in LTBA 21.2 by the late Robbins Burling and Mr Mankai Wangsu in 1998, a word list that represents ‘Lower Wancho’, with a word list collected from Mr Banwang Losu of Kamhua Noknu village, in the Upper Wancho area. Along with the word list and a brief discussion of the phonology of this Upper Wancho variety, we introduce the Wancho script, created by Banwang Losu, now included in Unicode and being used for teaching in the Wancho area. The article includes an introduction presenting information about the diversity of clans and linguistic varieties with what we now term Wancho, and also contains a brief phonological overview with script included and some grammatical information relating to verb stem alternation found in Wancho, and mostly expressed by tone variation between the stems.

Effects of lexical skills and orthographic neighborhood size in word memory

Two experiments were designed to investigate the relationship between individual lexical skills in young adults and memory performance on words varying by their orthographic neighborhood size. In Experiment 1, a sample of 100 university students were administrated a set of spelling, reading, and vocabulary tests to assess their lexical skills. Then, they had to learn mixed lists of words from high and low neighborhood size and perform free recall and memory recognition tasks. Importantly, high lexical skills were found to enhance free recall and, to a lesser extent, recognition. In addition, a typical mirror effect of neighborhood size was found in recognition as words were better recognized and also produced less false alarms when they had a low neighborhood size. In Experiment 2, pure lists of words were designed and a new sample of 90 university students was assessed. We replicated the effect of lexical skills in free recall and the effect of neighborhood size for hits in recognition. Spelling skills were found to interact with neighborhood size in free recall in that low spelling skills were associated with a facilitatory effect of neighborhood size. In recognition, a relation between reading skills and neighborhood size was found such that the higher the reading skills, the higher was the inhibitory effect of neighborhood size. These results provide new evidence of an influence of lexical skills in word memory performance and underline the role of orthographic neighborhood size in episodic memory tasks.

From HTML to List of Words (part 2)

Dans cette leçon, nous allons implémenter l'algorithme découvert dans la leçon « Du HTML à une liste de mots, partie 1 », afin d'apprendre à découper une chaine de caractères en une liste de mots.

Evaluation of Large Language Models Using an Indian Language LGBTI+ Lexicon

Large language models (LLMs) are typically evaluated on the basis of task-based benchmarks such as MMLU. Such benchmarks do not examine the behaviour of LLMs in specific contexts. This is particularly true in the LGBTI+ context where social stereotypes may result in variation in LGBTI+ terminology. Therefore, domain-specific lexicons or dictionaries may be useful as a representative list of words against which the LLM’s behaviour needs to be evaluated. This paper presents a methodology for evaluation of LLMs using an LGBTI+ lexicon in Indian languages. The methodology consists of four steps: formulating NLP tasks relevant to the expected behaviour, creating prompts that test LLMs, using the LLMs to obtain the output and, finally, manually evaluating the results. Our qualitative analysis shows that the three LLMs we experiment on are unable to detect underlying hateful content. Similarly, we observe limitations in using machine translation as means to evaluate natural language understanding in languages other than English. The methodology presented in this paper can be useful for LGBTI+ lexicons in other languages as well as other domain-specific lexicons. The work done in this paper opens avenues for responsible behaviour of LLMs in the Indian context, especially with prevalent social perception of the LGBTI+ community.

‘I am tired, sad and kind’: self-evaluation and symptoms of depression in adolescents

IntroductionAlthough self-evaluation i.e., negative perceptions of the self is a common depression symptom in adolescents, little is known about how this population spontaneously describe their self and available data on adolescent self-evaluation is limited. This study aimed to generate and report on a list of words used by healthy adolescents and those with elevated depression symptoms to describe their self-evaluation. Linguistic analysis (LIWC) was then used to compare self-evaluation between the two groups.MethodsAdolescents aged 13–18 years (n = 549) completed a measure of depression symptoms (the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire) and a measure of self-evaluation (the Twenty Statements Test). Responses were then collated and presented in a freely accessible resource and coded using Linguistic Inquiry Word Count (LIWC) analysis.ResultsSelf-evaluation words generated by adolescents were uploaded to a publicly accessible site for future research: https://doi.org/10.15125/BATH-01234. Adolescents with elevated depression symptoms described themselves as ‘Tired’ and ‘Sad’ more than healthy adolescents. However, there was no difference between groups in respect to their use of specific positive, prosocial self-evaluation ‘words’ (i.e., ‘Caring’ and ‘Kind). Following Linguistic Inquiry Word Count (LIWC) analysis, adolescents with elevated depression symptoms generated significantly more words than healthy adolescents, generated more words classified as negative emotion, anxiety and sadness and generated fewer words classified positive emotion than healthy adolescents.ConclusionsAs predicted by the cognitive model of depression, our findings suggest that adolescents with elevated symptoms of depression generated more negative self-evaluation words than healthy adolescents; however they also generated prosocial positive self-evaluation words at the same rate as non-depressed adolescents. These novel data therefore identify an ‘island’ of resilience that could be targeted and amplified by psychological treatments for adolescent depression, and thus provide an additional technique of change.

Accounting for the Concreteness and Neighborhood Effects in a High Frequency Word List for Poor Readers

Some poor readers show little or no progress in literacy interventions as their susceptibility to the concreteness and neighborhood effect is not accounted for during intervention. This study aims to develop a resource for poor readers by revising the Dolch list to account for the concreteness and neighborhood (orthographic, phonological and semantic) effect. Psycholinguistic techniques were employed to recategorize 220 Dolch list words according to concreteness via function and content word categories, and include the associated orthographic, phonological and semantic neighbors of each word into a new High Frequency List with Neighbors (HFLN). One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Bonferroni post hoc test and Levene’s test of variance homogeneity were carried out as measures of statistical significance and variability. The HFLN contains a total of 220 words with 1057 neighbors across five function and content word categories. Both measures of statistical significance and variability show that grade categories in the Dolch list contain greater mean concreteness values with overlapping similarities and higher variability. Conversely, the HFLN effectively delineates concreteness value clusters between categories with lower variability. The HFLN aids in targeted intervention of poor readers by presenting the available orthographic, phonological and semantic neighbors according to the descending order of concreteness.

Multi-Site Cross-Site Inter-Rater and Test-Retest Reliability and Construct Validity of the MarkVCID White Matter Hyperintensity Growth and Regression Protocol.

White matter hyperintensities (WMH) that occur in the setting of vascular cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID) may be dynamic increasing or decreasing volumes or stable over time. Quantifying such changes may prove useful as a biomarker for clinical trials designed to address vascular cognitive-impairment and dementia and Alzheimer's Disease. Conducting multi-site cross-site inter-rater and test-retest reliability of the MarkVCID white matter hyperintensity growth and regression protocol. The NINDS-supported MarkVCID Consortium evaluated a neuroimaging biomarker developed to track WMH change. Test-retest and cross-site inter-rater reliability of the protocol were assessed. Cognitive test scores were analyzed in relation to WMH changes to explore its construct validity. ICC values for test-retest reliability of WMH growth and regression were 0.969 and 0.937 respectively, while for cross-site inter-rater ICC values for WMH growth and regression were 0.995 and 0.990 respectively. Word list long-delay free-recall was negatively associated with WMH growth (p < 0.028) but was not associated with WMH regression. The present data demonstrate robust ICC validity of a WMH growth/regression protocol over a one-year period as measured by cross-site inter-rater and test-retest reliability. These data suggest that this approach may serve an important role in clinical trials of disease-modifying agents for VCID that may preferentially affect WMH growth, stability, or regression.

Development of a Cognitive Composite for Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease in Korean Older Adults.

As tracking subtle cognitive declines in the preclinical stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is difficult with traditional individual outcome measures, need for cognitive composite for preclinical AD is widely recognized. We aimed to develop culturally appropriate cognitive composite that sensitively identifies subtle cognitive decline of preclinical AD in Korean older adults. A total 225 cognitively normal elderly individuals from the Korean Brain Aging Study for the Early Diagnosis and Prediction of Alzheimer's Disease, were included. Tests of episodic memory, orientation, and executive function were carefully selected through review of previously established composites. Three candidate composites including Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease Word list recall (WLR), Logical memory (LM) II, and Mini-Mental status examination (MMSE) in common, and Letter fluency test (LF), category fluency test, or Stroop color and word test, were selected. Student t-tests demonstrated that only the composite composed of WLR, LM II, MMSE, and LF (Composite 1) showed a significant difference in score decline over two-year follow-up period between Aβ positive and negative group (p = 0.03). Linear mixed model analyses also showed that the Aβ x time interaction effect was significant only for Composite 1 (p = 0.025). Based on the results, Composite 1 was chosen as the final cognitive composite for preclinical Alzheimer's disease (CPAD). CPAD can be used to assess subtle cognitive decline of preclinical AD in clinical research settings, especially in Korean older adults. It also may be used for monitoring progression or treatment benefits in clinical practices.

The association between triglyceride-glucose index and cognitive function in nondiabetic elderly: NHANES 2011–2014

BackgroundThe relationship between Insulin resistance (IR) evaluated through homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and cognitive function is controversial among nondiabetic individuals. No study so far has reported the association between the IR evaluated through triglyceride glucose (TyG) index and cognitive function among nondiabetics. This study aims to assess this association among US nondiabetic older elderly.MethodsData were obtained from the 2011–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Low cognitive function was evaluated using the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease Battery for immediate word list learning (CERAD-WL) and delayed recall (CERAD-DR) test, the Animal Fluency Test (AFT), and the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST). Logistic regression analyses were conducted to compute the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidential interval (CI) to examine the association between the TyG index (continuous and quartiles) and low cognitive function.ResultsA total of 661 nondiabetic older adults were included with a mean age of 68.62 ± 6.49 years. Compared to the 1st quartile of the TyG index, participants in the TyG index 4th quartile were associated with low cognitive function evaluated through the CERAD test (CERAD-WL and CERAD-DR) [OR: 2.62; 95% CI (1.31, 5.23); P < 0.05]. Subgroup analyses showed that females (ORQ4 VS Q1: 3.07; 95% CI (1.04, 9.05); P < 0.05) and smokers (OR Q4 VS Q1: 2.70; 95% CI (1.01, 7.26); P < 0.05) categories were related with a higher risk of low cognitive function.ConclusionsA high TyG index was strongly correlated with low cognitive function evaluated through the CERAD test (CERAD-WL and CERAD-DR) among US nondiabetic older women. The management of IR in women might be beneficial to primarily prevent low cognitive function among nondiabetic older elderly.

Measure of Auditory Working Memory Span Using Monosyllabic Word Recognition Test in Young Adults With Normal Hearing: A Preliminary Study.

Measuring working memory at hearing clinics is important. This study attempted to develop a test protocol that measures auditory working memory using a standardized monosyllabic word list in Korean Speech Audiometry (KSA). We included 25 young adults with normal hearing in this study. Participants conducted word recognition and word span tests concurrently using the KSA monosyllabic word lists. We designed four test conditions according to the presence or absence of background noise and word recall order: quiet-forward (QF), quiet-backward (QB), noise-forward, (NF), and noise-backward (NB). We implemented digit span tests in the Korean Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV (K-WAIS-IV) to determine the validity of the working memory outcomes. Word recognition scores of QF and QB were significantly higher than those of NF and NB. The percentages of correctly recalled words and word recall span scores were highest in QF and lowest in NB. Overall, the Pearson correlation and multiple regression statistics showed that our word span test outcomes for QB and NF were highly associated with digit span scores on the K-WAIS-IV. Our proposed test protocol showed the possibility of measuring auditory working memory and monosyllabic word recognition simultaneously by validating the results with K-WAIS-IV outcomes.

34 Verbal Memory as a Language Function: Phonological Processing Contributes to Word List Recall in Persons with Multiple Sclerosis

Objective:Verbal memory deficits are present in multiple sclerosis (MS), but neither inflammatory T2 lesion volume nor cerebral atrophy (generalized or localized hippocampal atrophy) fully explain disease-related verbal memory changes. Importantly, the hippocampus does not function in a vacuum; memory encoding and retrieval requires interactions between the hippocampus and cortical areas where information is processed and represented. Indeed, we have previously shown that lexical access speed (a language function assessed by rapid automatized naming) independently predicted delayed recall of verbal information (word list) for persons with MS, even when controlling for total learning. Informed by this work and recent ultra high field (7.0 Tesla) MRI research reporting high cortical lesion count in regions associated with phonological processing (e.g., plenum temporale, superior temporal gyrus), we assessed whether phonological processing independently explains verbal memory deficits in persons with MS.Participants and Methods:Analyses were performed on a clinical sample of persons with MS aged 18 to 59 years (n=60: 49 relapsing, 11 progressive). Word-list memory was assessed by the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test, Revised (HVLT-R), which yielded scores for Total Learning (TL) and Delayed Recall (DR). Phonological processing was assessed with WIAT-4 Phonemic Proficiency. WIAT-4 Sentence Repetition was utilized as a non-phonological language control task, and WIAT-4 Word Reading was administered to control for premorbid verbal ability. CANTAB Paired Associate Learning served as a nonverbal memory comparison. Performance on tasks was standardized using published age-adjusted norms. Primary analyses used partial correlations to assess relationships between Phonemic Proficiency and (a) HVLT-R TL and DR controlling for WIAT-4 Word Reading, and (b) HVLT-R DR controlling for WIAT-4 Word Reading and HVLT-R TL. To assess specificity to phonological processing, the same partial correlations assessed relationships between Sentence Repetition and HVLT-R variables, and between Phonemic Proficiency and nonverbal memory (CANTAB PAL).Results:When controlling for premorbid verbal ability, Phonemic Proficiency performance accounted for 7.8% of the variance in HVLT-R TL (rpartial=0.28, p=0.031) and 16% of the variance in HVLT-R DR (rpartial=0.40, p=0.002). Moreover, when additionally controlling for HVLT-R TL, Phonemic Proficiency still accounted for 10% of the variance in HVLT-R DR (r partial— 0.32, p=0.016). Showing specificity to phonological processing ability, performance on Sentence Repetition was not significantly related to HVLT-R DR when controlling for premorbid verbal ability (WIAT-4 Word Reading) and HVLT-R TL (rpartial=0.09, p=0.510). Showing specificity to verbal memory, neither Phonemic Proficiency nor Sentence Repetition performance were reliably related to CANTAB PAL for any variance in performance in nonverbal memory (Ps&gt;0.9).Conclusions:Results suggest that language ability, specifically phonological processing, contributes to delayed recall of word lists independent of premorbid verbal ability and initial total learning scores in persons with MS. These findings demonstrate contributions of language ability to verbal memory and highlight the need for further research into language ability changes in persons with MS. This may have implications for verbal memory rehabilitation in MS.

59 Preliminary Findings of Semantic Interference in Learning and Memory Processes in Manifest Huntington’s Disease

Objective:To explore the usefulness of the Lowenstein-Acevedo Scales for Semantic Interference and Learning (LASSI-L) [Crocco et al, 2013], a novel memory-based cognitive stress test capitalizing on semantic interference, in Huntington’s Disease (HD).Participants and Methods:12 healthy adults (HA) and 14 individuals with manifest HD were administered the LASSI-L as part of an annual research visit with the UCSD Huntington’s Disease Clinical Research Center (HDCRC.) Participants in each group were well matched with regard to age and education. Individuals with manifest HD had an average MoCA score of 26, total functional capacity score of 10, and total motor score of 21 suggesting that they were in the early stages of HD. The LASSI-L examines different types of semantic interference that occur in the learning/encoding process. There are free and cued recall trials for two lists of semantically related words with certain trials specific to different aspects of semantic interference including proactive, retroactive, and failure to recover from proactive interference. T-tests for all recall trials and number of intrusions for each trial were conducted between HA and those with HD to examine whether HD renders one more prone to semantic interference in both encoding and retrieval memory processes.Results:Individuals with HD recalled fewer words on average than HA across all recall trials except for the initial free recall of the first word list. HD individuals recalled significantly fewer (∼1.5) words during the initial (t=-2.8, p=.005, Cohen’s d=2.7) and secondary (t=-2.9, p=.003, Cohen’s d=2.6) cued recall trials from the words on the first list. Individuals with HD also recalled significantly fewer words on initial free recall (t=-2.9, p=.003, Cohen’s d=2.6) and cued recall trials of the second list, with the initial cued recall (t=-2.8, p=.005, Cohen’s d=3.1) sensitive to proactive semantic interference and the second cued recall (t=-3.3, p=.001, Cohen’s d=2.6) sensitive to failure to recover from proactive semantic interference. In addition, individuals with HD also recalled significantly fewer (∼2.2) words on delayed cued recall of the first list, a measure of retroactive semantic interference, than HA (t=-4.8, p&lt;.001, Cohen’s d=2.4). Lastly, individuals with HD recalled fewer (∼4.1) words than HA on delayed free recall of both word lists (t=-3.5, p&lt;.001, Cohen’s d=5.9). The groups did not differ significantly with regard to number of total intrusions per trial.Conclusions:Overall, our study supports the usefulness of the LASSI-L for neuropsychological assessment of HD in clinical and research settings. In comparison to a demographically similar group of HA, individuals with manifest HD showed significant differences in frontally mediated retrieval processes as well as semantic interference processes that affect efficient encoding of novel information.

8 Self-Reported versus Performance-Based Cancer-Related Cognitive Impairment in Older Women with Nonmetastatic Breast Cancer

Objective:The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cognitive scale (FACT-Cog) is one of the most frequently used patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures of cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) and of CRCI-related impact on quality of life (QOL). Previous studies using the FACT-Cog found that &gt;75% of women with breast cancer (BCa) experience CRCI. Distress tolerance (DT) is a complex construct that encompasses both the perceived capacity (i.e., cognitive appraisal) and the behavioral act of withstanding uncomfortable/aversive/negative emotional or physical experiences. Low DT is associated with psychopathology and executive dysfunction. We previously found that women with BCa with better DT skills reported less CRCI on the FACT-Cog. However, this relationship has not been tested using a performance-based cognitive measure. Therefore, the aims of this study were to: (1) assess the relationship between the FACT-Cog and the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS), a performance-based cognitive measure; and (2) test whether the association between DT and CRCI (using the FACT-Cog) was replicated with the TICS.Participants and Methods:Participants completed the Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS), the FACT-Cog, and the TICS after undergoing BCa surgery and prior to starting adjuvant therapy [101 women, age &gt;50 years, M(SD)= 61.15(7.76), 43% White Non-Hispanic, 34.4% White Hispanic, 10.8% Black, with nonmetastatic BCa, 55.4% lumpectomy, 36.6% mastectomy; median 29 days post-surgery].Results:Although there was a significant correlation between the TICS total score and the FACT-CogQOL subscale (r = 0.347, p &lt; 0.001), the TICS total score was not correlated with scores on the FACT-Cog perceived cognitive impairment (CogPCI), perceived cognitive abilities (CogPCA), or comments from others (CogOth) subscales. However, the TICS memory item, a 10-word list immediate recall task, had a weak statistically significant correlation with CogPCI (r = 0.237, p &lt; 0.032), CogOth (r = 0.223, p &lt; 0.044), and CogPCA (r = 0.233, p &lt; 0.036). Next, the sample was divided based on the participant’s score on TICS memory item (i.e., &lt; vs. &gt; sample mean of 5.09). Results of independent samples t-tests demonstrated significant differences in mean scores for CogPCI, f(80) = -2.09, p = 0.04, Mdt = -7.65, Cohen’s d = 0.483, and CogQOL, f(80) = -2.57, p = 0.01, Mditt = -2.38, Cohen’s d = 0.593. A hierarchical linear regression found that DTS subscale and total scores did not significantly predict performance on the TICS. However, DTS continued to be a significant predictor of poorer FACT-Cog PCI scores while controlling for TICS scores.Conclusions:We found a weak relationship between self-reported cognitive impairment and objective cognitive performance (TICS). However, greater self-reported PCI and its impact on QOL was found in participants who scored below the sample mean on a recall task from the TICS. Although perceived ability to tolerate distress continued to predict self-reported PCI on the FACT-Cog, it did not predict overall performance on the TICS. Therefore, responses on the FACT-Cog may be more representative of an individual’s ability to tolerate distress related to perceived CRCI than actual overall cognitive ability or impairment.

Measurement and structural invariance of a neuropsychological battery among Middle Eastern/North African, Black, and White older adults.

There is a lack of guidance on common neuropsychological measures among Arabic speakers and individuals who identify as Middle Eastern/North African (MENA) in the United States. This study evaluated measurement and structural invariance of a neuropsychological battery across race/ethnicity (MENA, Black, White) and language (Arabic, English). Six hundred six older adults (128 MENA-English, 74 MENA-Arabic, 207 Black, 197 White) from the Detroit Area Wellness Network were assessed via telephone. Multiple-group confirmatory factor analyses examined four indicators corresponding to distinct cognitive domains: episodic memory (Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease [CERAD] Word List), language (Animal Fluency), attention (Montreal Cognitive Assessment [MoCA] forward digit span), and working memory (MoCA backward digit span). Measurement invariance analyses revealed full scalar invariance across language groups and partial scalar invariance across racial/ethnic groups suggesting a White testing advantage on Animal Fluency; yet this noninvariance did not meet a priori criteria for salient impact. Accounting for measurement noninvariance, structural invariance analyses revealed that MENA participants tested in English demonstrated lower cognitive health than Whites and Blacks, and MENA participants tested in Arabic demonstrated lower cognitive health than all other groups. Measurement invariance results support the use of a rigorously translated neuropsychological battery to assess global cognitive health across MENA/Black/White and Arabic/English groups. Structural invariance results reveal underrecognized cognitive disparities. Disaggregating MENA older adults from other non-Latinx Whites will advance research on cognitive health equity. Future research should attend to heterogeneity within the MENA population, as the choice to be tested in Arabic versus English may reflect immigrant, educational, and socioeconomic experiences relevant to cognitive aging. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

33 Associations Between Long-Term Forgetting and Slow Wave Activity in Autosomal-Dominant Alzheimer’s Disease: Findings from the Colombia-Boston (COLBOS) Biomarker Study

Objective:Sleep contributes to memory retention and recall. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients experience decreased slow wave activity (SWA) during sleep. This decrease in SWA is associated with impaired memory consolidation (Lee et al., 2020). Long-term forgetting (LTF) over days or weeks has been linked to memory consolidation deficits and has been suggested as an early marker of AD that could be useful for identifying at-risk individuals for preclinical AD trials (Weston et al., 2018). Here, we examined associations between LTF and SWA in a sample of Presenilin-1 (PSEN1) E280A mutation carriers with autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease and non-carrier family members. Carriers of this mutation usually develop dementia in their forties (Fuller et al., 2019).Participants and Methods:Fourteen cognitively unimpaired PSEN1-E280A mutation carriers and sixteen age-matched non-carriers (mean age: 34.2 years) from the Colombia-Boston (COLBOS) biomarker study were included. Participants completed an overnight polysomnogram (PSG) and memory testing (NEUROPSI Word List) at 3-time points: 1) the night before PSG: immediate recall (Day1-ImmRecall) and a 20-minute delayed recall (Day1-DelayedRecall), 2) recall the following day (Day2-recall), and 3) recall one week later (Day7-recall). SWA was measured as the ratio 0. 6-1Hz/0.6-4Hz in frontopolar and frontotemporal regions and was calculated for sleep stages N2+N3 (slow wave sleep) based on an automated staging algorithm. Each participant’s LTF was calculated as the percent retention between Day 1 immediate recall and Day 7 recall (Butler, 2009). Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare differences in recall, SWA, and LTF between groups. Spearman’s correlation was used to examine the associations between memory recall at different time points and SWA, as well as between LTF and SWA.Results:On Day 1, carriers had lower performance in immediate recall (p=0.02), compared to non-carriers, but there were no group differences in the 20-minute delayed recall. Carriers also recalled fewer words on Day 2 (p=0.03) and Day 7 (p=0.009) and had greater LTF (p=0.03). There were no group differences in SWA. In our overall sample, worse performance on word list delayed recall on Day 1, Day 2, and Day 7 was associated with less SWA across both frontotemporal (Day1: p=0.04, Day2: p=0.02, Day7: p=0.02) and frontopolar (all Ps&lt;0.01) regions. In carriers, only worse performance on Day 1 delayed recall was associated with lower SWA in the frontopolar region (r= 0.535; p=0.049). Memory recall on other days was not associated with SWA in any brain regions. Additionally, greater LTF was associated with less SWA across both frontopolar (r= 0.507; p=0.005) and frontotemporal regions (r= 0.463 p= 0.01).Conclusions:Preliminary findings suggest that long-term forgetting is associated with less slow- wave activity in preclinical autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease. These results also suggest that SWA may be related to pre-sleep learning and subsequent overnight memory consolidation processes. LTF testing may be useful in selecting individuals for preclinical AD trials. Future research on the impact of slow wave activity on LTF may be useful in identifying ways to enhance short- and long-term memory consolidation in individuals at greater risk for dementia.

33 Title: Examining memory performances in a sample of cognitively healthy illiterate older adult population in India

Objective:Despite the rise in literacy, 773 million of the global population is estimated to be illiterate. The rate of illiteracy is even higher among women and older adults (OA). Literacy has been well documented to impact cognitive skills, and most neuropsychological tests developed are for individuals with higher education. Moreover, there is sparse research on cognitive process and performance of illiterate individuals across cognitive domains.Per a 2011 census, the illiteracy rate in the Indian older adult population was as high as 56%, and within this group, women and older adults in rural regions were especially vulnerable. Thus, it is important to understand cognitive performance of illiterate Indian older adult population, especially when they are being assessed for neurodegenerative disorders.Participants and Methods:This study used subset of data from Harmonized Longitudinal Aging Study of India, Diagnostic Assessment of Dementia (LASI DAD), which was developed by the Gateway to Global Aging Data. A sample of cognitive healthy OA (n = 715) was selected based on Hindi Mental Status Exam score of &gt;19 and a Clinical Dementia Rating Scale of 0 (literate = 419, illiterate = 296). Given the heterogeneity of the population, adapted cognitive instruments were used. This study compared memory performances, using word list and constructional praxis with delayed recall tasks, of OA based on their literacy status (illiterate vs. literate).Results:Literate cognitive healthy OA (M = 15.27, SD = 3.9) learned more words over three trials than illiterate OA (M = 12.17, SD = 3.7) on a world list task, a statistically significant difference (M = 3.1, 95% CI [2.5, 3.6], t (713) = 10.62, p&lt;0.05. Literate OA (M = 8.7, SD = 2.2) had higher scores on task of copy of simple geometrical figures than illiterate OA (M = 5.3, SD = 2.8), a statistically significant difference (M = 3.3, 95% CI [2.9, 3.7], t (713) = 7.1, p&lt;0.05. Literate OA (M = 4.5, SD = 1.8) also recalled more words than illiterate OA (M = 3.6, SD = 2.1) after a delay. Recall of geometric figures after a delay was higher for literate OA (M = 5, SD = 2.9) as well compared to illiterate OA (M = 2.4, SD = 2.5).Conclusions:Conclusion: In a sample of cognitively healthy Indian older adults, literate OA consistently performed better than illiterate OA on both verbal and nonverbal memory measures. This is consistent with past literature which shows that illiterate individuals take longer to learn verbal information and have lower recall. Additionally, use of geometric figure may be complicated for these individuals. These are important considerations when assessing an OA for memory problems with low or no education. Next steps would be to look at differences across other cognitive domains and also examining if cognitive differences exist in illiterate OA based on gender.

The utility of word list and story recall for identifying older U.S. Chinese immigrants with cognitive impairment.

This study examined the utility of the Chinese-language translations of the word list memory test (Philadelphia Verbal Learning Test) and story memory test (Logical Memory subtest of the Wechsler Memory Scale) for differentiating cognitive diagnosis in older U.S. Chinese immigrants. Participants were ≥ 60 years old, with Chinese language proficiency to complete a diagnostic workup at the Mount Sinai's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. The workup included an evaluation by a geriatric psychiatrist and cognitive testing with a psychometrician. Diagnosis of normal, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and dementia was made independent of the cognitive tests at consensus led by a dementia expert physician. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess the sensitivity of story and word list memory tests for distinguishing between groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC area/area under the curve [AUC]) was used to compare the predictive accuracy of the two tests. The sample included 71 participants with normal cognition, 42 with MCI, and 24 with dementia. The MCI group was older and less educated than normal controls but younger and more educated than the dementia group. Delayed recall of both memory tests, but not immediate recall of either test, predicted diagnosis. While composite memory score of word list (AUC = 0.90) predicted diagnosis slightly better than that of stories (AUC = 0.85), the difference was not significant in this small sample (p = .14). Chinese-language translations of verbal memory tests, in particular delayed recall scores, were equally sensitive for classifying cognitive diagnosis in older U.S. Chinese immigrants. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

2 Predictors of Memory Deficits in Patients with Subjective Cognitive Decline, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Alzheimer’s Disease - Do Disease Severity Moderate the Association?

Objective:Age, sex, education, memory, and the APOE e4 allele are related to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) risk. Recently it was suggested that low body mass index (BMI) contributes to the development of AD. The objective of this study was to examine how delayed recall of a word list was influenced by demographic variables, APOE and BMI in people with memory problems, and to investigate whether the impact of these variables was smaller at higher disease severity levels.Participants and Methods:The participants were 1206 patients in the Norwegian NorCog registry diagnosed with either subjective cognitive decline (SCD) (n=274), mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (n=444), or AD (n=488). ANOVAs and hierarchical regression were applied to examine whether the delayed recall part of the 10-word test of the CERAD-WL was associated with age, sex, education, APOE (e4/non-e4) and BMI. Analyses were run separately for SCD, MCI and AD patients.Results:There were significant bivariate differences (p&lt;.001) between the three patient groups for all variables; the AD patients were older, less educated, more were women, more had APOE e4 alleles, and they had lower BMI. For the SCD group, 34% of the total variance (R2) of the dependent variable was explained. All independent variables except BMI (p=.07) had a significant contribution in the prediction. For MCI, 18% of the total were explained. All variables except education and sex showed significant contribution to R2. For the AD group, R2 was 13%. Sex and BMI did not contribute significantly.Conclusions:As expected, the performance on CERAD-WML was influenced by age, education and sex in the SCD group, whereas the associations between memory function and the three demographic variables were less clear among patients with MCI and AD. ApoE genotype influenced on the CERAD-WML results among all patients, whereas BMI only influenced on the results among patients with SCD and MCI. Our findings do not support that BMI is associated with delayed recall of memory in AD.

2 Vigilant Coping Moderates the Relationship between Discrimination and Memory among Black and Latinx Adults

Objective:In the U.S, Black and Latinx individuals disproportionately experience daily acts of discrimination. To counteract the psychological distress, many individuals develop coping mechanisms, like vigilant coping, where behaviors are modified to attempt to prevent discriminatory experiences. Researchers have investigated how coping mechanisms moderate the relationship between discrimination and psychological stress, but not their role in the relationship between discrimination and cognitive function. Prior research has shown a link between discrimination and poor episodic memory. The current study examined vigilant coping as a potential moderator in the relationship between discrimination and memory among Black and Latinx people.Participants and Methods:We partnered with 1317 non-Latinx Black (n= 291) and Latinx (n= 1026) individuals who participated in the Offspring Study of Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Alzheimer's Disease. Participants were assessed in English or Spanish, according to their preference. Experiences of discrimination were measured on two scales: Major (civil rights violations) and Everyday (daily hassles), and were coded according to yearly chronicity. Vigilance was measured among people with at least one reported experience of discrimination on either scale, using a 5-item survey which was dichotomized as low and high vigilant coping. The Selective Reminding Test, a 12-item word list task with 6 learning trials and a delayed recall trial, yielded scores for total immediate recall and delayed memory. Linear regression models were used to assess if vigilance moderated the relationship between discrimination and memory, with years of education and age as covariates.Results:Participants ranged in age from 27 to 91, with a mean age of 56.5 (SD=11.0) years, a mean education of 12.7 (SD=3.7) years, and were 67% women. High vigilant coping was associated with more experiences of major (b = 1.7, 95% CI = 0.9,2.5) and everyday (b = 90.3, 95% CI=66.2,114.3) discrimination. Memory was not associated with reported everyday discrimination, but lower delayed recall was observed among people who reported more experiences of major discrimination (b= -0.04, 95% CI = -0.07,-0.01). This relationship was moderated by vigilance, such that among people with low vigilant coping, major experiences of discrimination predicted lower memory (b= -0.06, 95% CI = -0.12,-0.01), but the association between discrimination and memory was weakened among people with high use of vigilant coping (b= -0.02, 95% CI = -0.05,0.01).Conclusions:This study builds on Black researchers' work that laid the foundations for examination of stress and coping in marginalized populations. Future studies on discrimination and cognitive health should consider coping mechanisms as key aspects of pathways linking structural racism and inequalities to cognitive health among Black and Latinx individuals.