Boston Naming Test: Gender Differences in Older Adults with and without Alzheimer’s Dementia

James R. Hall, Hoa T. Vo, Leigh A. Johnson, April Wiechmann, Sid E. O’Bryant

Department of Internal Medicine, University of North Texas Health Sciences Center, Fort Worth, USA.
Department of Psychiatry, Behavioral Health and Neuroscience, University of North Texas Health Sciences Center, Fort Worth, USA.
Institute of Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease Research, University of North Texas Health Sciences Center, Fort Worth, USA.

DOI: 10.4236/psych.2012.36068                

Abstract

The study clarifies the relationship between gender and performance on the BNT by controlling for the effects of demographic and health risk factors. Participants were 468 outpatient individuals (153 diagnosed with probable Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and 318 cognitively intact) enrolled in the Texas Alzheimer’s Research and Care Consortium cohort. Participants under went evaluations including medical examination, interview, neuropsychological testing, and blood draw. The neuropsychological assessment consisted of the Wechsler Digit Span, Logical Memory, and Visual Reproduction, along with the Trail Making Test, Boston Naming Test (60-item version), verbal fluency (FAS), and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-30).To control for severity of cognitive impairment only mild AD as shown by a CDR global score of 0.5 or 1.0 were used. Control males outperformed females (F = 10.81, p < .000, ES = .20). AD males also performed significantly better than AD females (F = 17.13, p < .000, ES = .25). Gender differences remain after covarying for estimated IQ, age, education, and presence of hyperlipidemia and hypertension. Overall, within-group and between-group comparisons support prior findings that males perform significantly better compared to females on the BNT even after controlling for health and level of decline. Findings have implications for clinical practice and prospective test norm considerations.

Keywords

Boston Naming; Alzheimer’s Disease; Cardiovascular Risks; Gender

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

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