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P2‐402: Semantic verbal fluency test for animals in former alcoholics
Author(s) -
Junior Emilio Herrera,
Limonte Fabio,
Rodrigues Jessica,
Herrera Gustavo
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.713
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1552-5279
pISSN - 1552-5260
DOI - 10.1016/j.jalz.2011.05.1274
Subject(s) - verbal fluency test , fluency , psychology , abstinence , neuropsychology , neuropsychological test , audiology , test (biology) , clinical psychology , alcohol abuse , blood alcohol , developmental psychology , cognition , psychiatry , medicine , injury prevention , poison control , paleontology , mathematics education , biology , environmental health
Background: A semantic verbal fluency (SVF) requires the generation of a certain category of words in a predetermined time of 60 seconds. The aim of the present study was to assess the verbal production in a group of 30 individuals former alcoholics with no less than five years without drink alcohol. The data obtained were compared with the control group composed by the same number of people matched for age, sex, and education whowere not alcoholics. Methods: The former alcoholics group was recruited in a therapy grouped called Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) in the city of Catanduva, S~ao Paulo-Brazil, all in active life and no complaints of memory loss. The former alcoholic group was underwent a battery of neuropsychological tests and one of the items of the survey was the semantic fluency for animals. The same tests were applied in the control group. The age of individuals ranged from 40 to 68 years with an average of 54 years. Results: The SVF obtained in the group of former drinkers had an average of 8.2 animals with minimum 2 and maximum of 14. In the control group the mean was 14.3 with a minimum 10 and maximum of 18. Conclusions: The semantic fluency for animals is linked to temporal lobe function, structure often affected when there is alcohol abuse. In the present study had a lower fluency in the group of former alcoholics when compared with the control group, suggesting that the neurological damage still persist after a long period of alcohol abstinence.