Clinical usefulness of the Verbal Fluency Index (VFI) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Executive functions
Frontotemporal degeneration
Neuropsychology
Verbal fluency
Journal
Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology
ISSN: 1590-3478
Titre abrégé: Neurol Sci
Pays: Italy
ID NLM: 100959175
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
15 Oct 2024
15 Oct 2024
Historique:
received:
13
06
2024
accepted:
29
09
2024
medline:
15
10
2024
pubmed:
15
10
2024
entrez:
15
10
2024
Statut:
aheadofprint
Résumé
This study aimed at assessing the clinical utility of the Verbal Fluency Index (VFI) over a classical phonemic verbal fluency test in Italian-speaking amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. N = 343 non-demented ALS patients and N = 226 healthy controls (HCs) were administered the Verbal fluency - S task from the Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioural ALS Screen (ECAS). The associations between the number of words produced (NoW), the time to read words aloud (TRW) and the VFI (computed as [(60"-TRW)/NoW]) on one hand and both bulbar/respiratory scores from the ALS Functional Rating Scale - Revised (ALSFRS-R) and the ECAS-Executive on the other were tested. Italian norms for the NoW and the VFI were derived in HCs via the Equivalent Score method. Patients were classified based on their impaired/unimpaired performances on the NoW and the VFI (NoW-VFI-; NoW-VFI+; NoW + VFI-; NoW + VFI+), with these groups being compared on ECAS-Executive scores. The VFI, but neither the NoW nor the TRW, were related to ALSFRS-Bulbar/-Respiratory scores; VFI and NoW measures, but not the TRW, were related to the ECAS-Executive (p < .001). The NoW slightly overestimated the number of executively impaired patients when compared to the VFI (31.1% vs. 26.8%, respectively). Patients with a defective VFI score - regardless of whether they presented or not with a below-cutoff NoW - reported worse ECAS-Executive scores than NoW + VFI + ones. The present reports support the use of the Italian VFI as a mean to validly assess ALS patients' executive status by limiting the effect of motor disabilities that might undermine their speech rate.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
This study aimed at assessing the clinical utility of the Verbal Fluency Index (VFI) over a classical phonemic verbal fluency test in Italian-speaking amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients.
METHODS
METHODS
N = 343 non-demented ALS patients and N = 226 healthy controls (HCs) were administered the Verbal fluency - S task from the Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioural ALS Screen (ECAS). The associations between the number of words produced (NoW), the time to read words aloud (TRW) and the VFI (computed as [(60"-TRW)/NoW]) on one hand and both bulbar/respiratory scores from the ALS Functional Rating Scale - Revised (ALSFRS-R) and the ECAS-Executive on the other were tested. Italian norms for the NoW and the VFI were derived in HCs via the Equivalent Score method. Patients were classified based on their impaired/unimpaired performances on the NoW and the VFI (NoW-VFI-; NoW-VFI+; NoW + VFI-; NoW + VFI+), with these groups being compared on ECAS-Executive scores.
RESULTS
RESULTS
The VFI, but neither the NoW nor the TRW, were related to ALSFRS-Bulbar/-Respiratory scores; VFI and NoW measures, but not the TRW, were related to the ECAS-Executive (p < .001). The NoW slightly overestimated the number of executively impaired patients when compared to the VFI (31.1% vs. 26.8%, respectively). Patients with a defective VFI score - regardless of whether they presented or not with a below-cutoff NoW - reported worse ECAS-Executive scores than NoW + VFI + ones.
CONCLUSIONS
CONCLUSIONS
The present reports support the use of the Italian VFI as a mean to validly assess ALS patients' executive status by limiting the effect of motor disabilities that might undermine their speech rate.
Identifiants
pubmed: 39404920
doi: 10.1007/s10072-024-07789-x
pii: 10.1007/s10072-024-07789-x
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Subventions
Organisme : Ministero della Salute
ID : NA
Informations de copyright
© 2024. Fondazione Società Italiana di Neurologia.
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