title: [Semantic verbal fluency of animals in amnesia-type mild cognitive impairment].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The quantitative and qualitative analysis of the semantic verbal fluency task has revealed that people with dementia produced fewer words and smaller semantic clustering than people without dementia. However, in people with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), research has shown conflicting results regarding the amount and number of semantic clusters that are made. The aim of this study was to provide new data to this controversial issue.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-two older adults diagnosed with aMCI (8 men and 14 women) and 43 older adults (7 men and 36 women) with normal cognitive functioning that served as control group, participated in this study. All patients were evaluated at the Center for Prevention of Cognitive Decline of Madrid (Spain), completing the verbal fluency test (animals) besides other neuropsychological tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  As expected, animal production was lower in the aMCI group than in the control group, but no differences were observed either in the average size of the semantic clusters or the number of switches between them.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results are consistent with previous research suggesting aMCI is not only characterized by episodic memory and working memory deficits. Semantic memory decline is also present. However, the data do not clarify how strategic executive processes are involved, as seems to be in Alzheimer's disease.
authors.forename: Ramón
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lopez-Higes
authors.affiliation: Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Espana.
authors.forename: José M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Prados
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: del Rio
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Galindo-Fuentes
authors.forename: Ana Isabel
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Reinoso
authors.forename: Montserrat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lozano-Ibanez
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007807:Language Tests; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D061212:Memory, Episodic; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D014825:Vocabulary