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

IntroductionAdults 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. MethodsA 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. ResultsPoorer 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). DiscussionSemantic 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.

Automated summary

Adults with Down syndrome have a high risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, showing poor verbal fluency and semantic memory similar to the general population in the preclinical phase. This study investigated the semantic fluency performance in adults with DS and its relationship to age, AD, and blood biomarkers. The results suggest that semantic fluency may serve as an early indicator of cognitive decline and be associated with biomarkers in adults with DS.