title: ["Household items" : an alternative task to "animals" in the assessment of semantic verbal fluency: a validation study].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The semantic verbal fluency (SVF) is usually evaluated with the task animals in 1 minute . This is a test widely applied in the screening of cognitive impairment. In our best knowledge there are not other alternatives categories for this task validated in our environment (Spanish as mother tongue, Spain).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To validate the category households items as an alternative parallel task to animals in the assessment of SVF.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective assessment of two categories (animals and household items) in two groups: normal controls and patients with Alzheimer s disease (AD).
  
  
  RESULTS
  
  
  
  METHODS
  n= 22 (13 M, 9 W); age: 73 5 years, education: 12 5 years; MMSE MEC 35: 30 4; Animals : 15 4. Percentile distribution 10th: 11; 50th: 15; 90th: 20; household items : 17 4. Percentile distribution: 10th: 12; 50th: 17; 90th: 22. AD group: n= 24 (9 M, 15 W); age: 74 5 years; education: 11 5 years; MMSE MEC 35: 17 8; Animals : 6 3. Percentile distribution: 10th: 2; 50th: 6; 90th: 9; household items : 6 4. Percentile distribution: 10th: 1; 50th: 6; 90th: 11. It is observed a positive correlation between the two categories (Spearman s Rho: 0.83, p< 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both SVF categories had a similar distribution and a high correlation. This findings demonstrated the validity of the household items as an alternative and parallel form to animals in the assessment of SVF in patients with cognitive impairment or dementia.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Clinico Universitario, Zaragoza, España. tfertur@posta.unizar.es
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fernández
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ríos
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Casadevall
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tejero
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: López-García
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Fabre
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Garcés
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Mauri
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Iñíguez
authors.forename: L F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Pascual
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012660:Semantics; D014705:Verbal Behavior