Narrativity Analysis in Alzheimer’s Disease

Abstract

Context. Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative illness with frequency of occurrence increasing with old age. If memory impairment setting progressively in is here an element associated upfront, other neurocognitive troubles are also associated, for example, language impairment which can degenerate into aphasia. Aim of the study. To evaluate semantic and textual impairment in AD. Methods. Populations studied concerned 151 AD patients in consultation at Brest University Hospital. Certain sociodemographic data (sex, age, cultural levels) were collected as well as results from neuropsychological tests: (Folstein – MMSE; Dubois’s 5-word test; fluencies, Dubois’ s frontal test battery; Cornell’s scale for depression; Barbizet’s test, “The Lion’s tale”, for textual analysis. Demented patients were composed of 102 females and 49 males of average age 80.3 ± 6.91. All the tests, including the number of items memorized latterly in the Barbizet’s test are impaired all the more by Folstein’s test being altered. The formal fluency on demented patients is less impaired than the semantical lexical fluency test (scored respectively 5.74 ± 1. 09 versus 4.41 ± 2. 19; t= 5.60, p<0.01). The studied demented cohort shows more intrusions (n=36) than inversions in the delayed Lion’s tale, whether for items or for episodes in which they occur (n=19). The regressive PLS analysis shows that for the explanation of the overall scores to do with “The lion’s tale”, calculated later, only attainment of lexical fluency has any notable influence (Regression coefficient CR=0.224) or, more accessorily, the cultural level (CR=0.12). Conclusions. Attainment of category fluency and patient culture levels have effects on narrativity.