Validation of Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination Test in Greek Elderly Population
TSANTALI E., TSOLAKI M, EUKLIDES A, KIOSEOGLOU G, PITA G

The Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination (BDAE) (Goodglass and Kaplan, 1983) is used as a diagnostic scale in order to assess the language ability of aphasia patients. As aphasia disorder especially with the type of naming deficit is one of the first symptoms in the prime stages of probable Alzheimer disease (Emery, 1985, 1993, Faber-Langendoen et al., 1988, Ferm, 1974, Kertesz et al., 1986, Kertresz, 1984) language disorders can act as diagnostic even prognostic indexes of the probable Alzheimer disease.

Our aims were to investigate if there is correlation of performance between the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), a cognitive diagnostic scale and the BDAE lexical tasks for the normal aging and the patient with probable Alzheimer disease or not. Then to find the BDAE subtests where the probable Alzheimer patients perform worst. Finally to adjust the scores of aphasic patients in BDAE to the scores of probable Alzheimer patients composing their language profil. The results showed that there is a strong correlation between the MMSE's and the BDAE's performance of probable Alzheimer patients and for many subtests of BDAE for normal aging. The language abilities which decline in probable Alzheimer disease are naming ability, narrative writing, reading comprehension and auditory comprehension showing a type of trancortical sensory aphasia.

Key words: Alzheimer disease, dementia, aphasia, language deficits, Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination, naming deficit.