Exploring semantic verbal fluency patterns and their relationship to age and Alzheimer's disease in adults with Down syndrome

Farah Mgaieth; R Asaad Baksh; Carla M Startin; Sarah Hamburg; Rosalyn Hithersay; Sarah Pape; Henrik Zetterberg; Nicholas J Ashton; Miren Tamayo-Elizalde; Fedal Saini; Mina Idris; The LonDownS Consortium; Andre Strydom

doi:10.1002/alz.13097

Exploring semantic verbal fluency patterns and their relationship to age and Alzheimer's disease in adults with Down syndrome

Alzheimers Dement. 2023 Nov;19(11):5129-5137. doi: 10.1002/alz.13097. Epub 2023 Apr 28.

Authors

Farah Mgaieth¹, R Asaad Baksh^{1

2}, Carla M Startin^{1

2

3

4}, Sarah Hamburg², Rosalyn Hithersay^{1

2

3}, Sarah Pape^{1

5}, Henrik Zetterberg^{6

7

8

9

10

11}, Nicholas J Ashton^{5

6

12

13}, Miren Tamayo-Elizalde¹, Fedal Saini¹, Mina Idris¹, The LonDownS Consortium², Andre Strydom^{1

2

3

5}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
² The LonDownS Consortium, London, UK.
³ Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
⁴ School of Psychology, University of Roehampton, London, UK.
⁵ South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
⁶ Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden.
⁷ Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden.
⁸ Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK.
⁹ UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, London, UK.
¹⁰ Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Hong Kong, China.
¹¹ Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
¹² Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience Maurice Wohl Institute Clinical Neuroscience Institute, King's College London, London, UK.
¹³ Centre for Age-Related Medicine, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway.

Abstract

Introduction: Adults with Down syndrome (DS) are at ultra-high risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD), characterized by poor episodic memory and semantic fluency in the preclinical phase in the general population. We explored semantic fluency performance in DS and its relationship to age, AD, and blood biomarkers.

Methods: A total of 302 adults with DS at baseline and 87 at follow-up from the London Down Syndrome Consortium cohort completed neuropsychological assessments. Blood biomarkers were measured with the single molecule array technique in a subset of 94 participants.

Results: Poorer verbal fluency performance was observed as age increases. Number of correct words declined in those with AD compared to those without over 2 years and was negatively correlated with neurofilament light (r = -0.37, P = .001) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (r = -0.31, P = .012).

Discussion: Semantic fluency may be useful as an early indicator of cognitive decline and provide additional information on AD-related change, showing associations with biomarkers in DS.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; Down syndrome; animal subcategories; glial fibrillary acidic protein; intrusions; neurofilament light; repetitions; semantic verbal fluency.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Alzheimer Disease* / epidemiology
Biomarkers
Down Syndrome* / complications
Humans
Memory Disorders
Neuropsychological Tests
Semantics
Verbal Behavior

Substances

Biomarkers

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding