Verbal fluency in older adults with low educational level: what is the role of executive functions and processing speed?

Neuropsychological tests related to verbal fluency paradigms are among those most frequently used to assess executive functions in older adults. These tasks are quick and easy to administer and widely used for clinical assessment. However, despite their apparent simplicity, these tests involve different cognitive demands and are influenced by sociodemographic factors. Two cognitive domains are particularly related to verbal fluency performance: executive functions and processing speed. Performance on these two cognitive domains declines with age and mediates the effect of other cognitive and demographic factors on verbal fluency scores. The objective of the present report is to investigate the contribution of executive functions and processing speed on category fluency performance. We hypothesize that these two cognitive domains will be related to test performance, suggesting that verbal fluency may not be used as a unidimensional measure of executive functions. Letters to the Editor 440