{"title":"Normative data for semantic verbal fluency in older Taiwanese adults: Implications for mild cognitive impairment screening.","authors":"Yu-Chen Chuang, Jong-Ling Fuh","doi":"10.1017/S1355617725101665","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aimed to update normative data and establish cut-off scores for a fruit-based semantic verbal fluency (SVF) task among older Taiwanese adults as a method for detecting mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The task was chosen due to its familiarity and cultural neutrality for Mandarin-speaking populations.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>SVF performance was evaluated in 245 healthy control participants and 360 individuals diagnosed with MCI. The influence of demographic variables was examined, and regression-based correction formulas were developed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses determined optimal cut-off values according to established clinical classifications of MCI.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Age, education, and sex significantly influenced SVF performance. A demographically corrected 15th percentile threshold of 10 words was proposed for community screening. An optimal ROC-derived cut-off of 11.5 words yielded an AUC of .716 (95% CI: .68-.76), with sensitivity of 57.8% and specificity of 73.9%. SVF scores were significantly correlated with global cognition, memory, and processing speed.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The fruit-based SVF task is a quick, culturally relevant tool for detecting early cognitive impairment. Revised norms and cut-off scores can improve MCI identification in Mandarin-speaking seniors.</p>","PeriodicalId":49995,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society","volume":" ","pages":"101-107"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0000,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S1355617725101665","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/12/5 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"CLINICAL NEUROLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to update normative data and establish cut-off scores for a fruit-based semantic verbal fluency (SVF) task among older Taiwanese adults as a method for detecting mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The task was chosen due to its familiarity and cultural neutrality for Mandarin-speaking populations.
Method: SVF performance was evaluated in 245 healthy control participants and 360 individuals diagnosed with MCI. The influence of demographic variables was examined, and regression-based correction formulas were developed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses determined optimal cut-off values according to established clinical classifications of MCI.
Results: Age, education, and sex significantly influenced SVF performance. A demographically corrected 15th percentile threshold of 10 words was proposed for community screening. An optimal ROC-derived cut-off of 11.5 words yielded an AUC of .716 (95% CI: .68-.76), with sensitivity of 57.8% and specificity of 73.9%. SVF scores were significantly correlated with global cognition, memory, and processing speed.
Conclusions: The fruit-based SVF task is a quick, culturally relevant tool for detecting early cognitive impairment. Revised norms and cut-off scores can improve MCI identification in Mandarin-speaking seniors.
期刊介绍：
The Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society is the official journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, an organization of over 4,500 international members from a variety of disciplines. The Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society welcomes original, creative, high quality research papers covering all areas of neuropsychology. The focus of articles may be primarily experimental, applied, or clinical. Contributions will broadly reflect the interest of all areas of neuropsychology, including but not limited to: development of cognitive processes, brain-behavior relationships, adult and pediatric neuropsychology, neurobehavioral syndromes (such as aphasia or apraxia), and the interfaces of neuropsychology with related areas such as behavioral neurology, neuropsychiatry, genetics, and cognitive neuroscience. Papers that utilize behavioral, neuroimaging, and electrophysiological measures are appropriate.
To assure maximum flexibility and to promote diverse mechanisms of scholarly communication, the following formats are available in addition to a Regular Research Article: Brief Communication is a shorter research article; Rapid Communication is intended for "fast breaking" new work that does not yet justify a full length article and is placed on a fast review track; Case Report is a theoretically important and unique case study; Critical Review and Short Review are thoughtful considerations of topics of importance to neuropsychology and include meta-analyses; Dialogue provides a forum for publishing two distinct positions on controversial issues in a point-counterpoint format; Special Issue and Special Section consist of several articles linked thematically; Letter to the Editor responds to recent articles published in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society; and Book Review, which is considered but is no longer solicited.
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号
