Year: 2024
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background: Verbal fluency assesses cognitive function in dementia and word retrieval in aphasia. However, the lack of data on verbal fluency among healthy older Thai individuals hinders comparisons with patient results. This is particularly concerning because older individuals are at higher risk for stroke and dementia. As Thailand has transitioned into an aging society, addressing this gap in data is essential. Objective: This study aims to examine verbal fluency in Thai individuals aged 60 and above, focusing on factors such as age, gender, and education level affecting word count. The goal is to update Thai data, provide more assessment options, and enhance understanding of related factors. This will improve the accuracy of result interpretation and inform treatment planning. Materials and methods: The study involved 147 healthy Thai individuals aged 60-89 living in Nonthaburi, Thailand. Participants must pass the Thai Mental State Examination (TMSE), visual screening by naming a picture and reading text, hearing screening through finger rubbing, oral reading (Noo Jaew Passage), and oral motor examinations to include only healthy participants without speech impairment. The speech-language pathologist, as an examiner, asks participants to generate words within a minute for each category (randomly assigned: animal, object, and food). Each intelligible and correct word in their category was scored. Researchers transcribed the recordings and counted the words produced. Results: The average age of the total participants was 70.59 (SD=7.25) years, with 110 women (75%). The average words are: 19.35 (SD=5.25) animals, 20.18 (SD=6.70) objects, and 15.02 (SD=4.56) foods. Participants aged 60-69 exhibited the highest verbal fluency for animal, object, and food categories at 20.63 (SD=5.02), 21.86 (SD=6.19), and 16.35 (SD=4.71), respectively. Conclusion: The study investigates verbal fluency in older Thai individuals in Nonthaburi, focusing on animal, object, and food categories. Results show that fluency declines with age. While higher education enhanced performance in the animal and object categories, it did not affect the food category. Gender significantly impacted the food category, with females performing better, possibly due to cultural roles. The data can be helpful in clinical assessments and future research on cognitive aging in Thai populations.
Institution: Sirindhorn National Medical Rehabilitation Institute
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4402075065