Language Disorders in People with Cognitive Impairment: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: The progressive ageing of the population has generated significant interest in various areas, particularly Cognitive Impairment (CI). It is necessary to know the specific characteristics of people with cognitive development to establish the basis for the intervention. Aim: To understand the relationship between the cognitive deterioration process and language characteristics, aiming to determine whether linguistic alteration could be considered a symptom of cognitive deterioration. Materials and Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional design involving two groups: 17 individuals aged over 70 years, consisting of eight with CI and nine without CI. Participants were assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Language abilities were evaluated using the Boston Naming Test and the Verbal Fluency Test in separate individual sessions. Data analysis was conducted using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) program. Results: The results indicated that individuals with CI exhibited poorer performance in language tests, particularly in areas related to productive and comprehensive lexical and semantic development. These differences were statistically significant across all assessed domains (p-value<0.001). Conclusion: CI is accompanied by significant impairment in language skills, which could be considered an indicator of cognitive decline. Therefore, specific interventions targeting language abilities are warranted throughout the progression of CI.

Keywords

• fluency
• language difficulties
• naming
• speech