Semantic interference in mild Alzheimer disease: preliminary findings.
OBJECTIVE
The authors evaluated the usefulness and psychometric properties of the Semantic Interference Test (SIT) in patients with mild Alzheimer disease (AD).


METHODS
Subjects were first presented with 10 common objects to be learned over three trials. Proactive interference was assessed by having subjects recall 10 new objects that were semantically related to the previous ones. Retroactive interference was assessed by having subjects recall the original 10 objects.


RESULTS
Controlling for overall memory impairment, very mildly impaired AD patients demonstrated significantly greater proactive and retroactive interference effects than the normal, community-dwelling comparison group. The proactive score alone and the combined proactive-plus-retroactive score index were more effective than traditional neuropsychological measures of delayed recall in distinguishing between the very mildly impaired AD group and the normal-comparison group.


CONCLUSIONS
The authors discuss the potential usefulness of the SIT in identifying vulnerability to semantic interference in early AD.
Loewenstein
David A
DA
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami Beach, FL 33140, USA. dloewenstein@worldnet.att.net
Acevedo
Amarilis
A
Schram
Lynn
L
Ownby
Raymond
R
White
Gloria
G
Mogosky
Brian
B
Barker
William W
WW
Duara
Ranjan
R
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016002:Discriminant Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012660:Semantics; D012720:Severity of Illness Index