NONVERBAL SPREADING ACTIVATION IN ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

Abstract

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to determine the degree of nonverbal spreading activation within a sample of individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) as compared to a control group. Prior research on spreading activation has typically focused on verbal memory networks. Nonverbal spreading activation is a relatively new topic that has received little research attention to date. This study measured nonverbal spreading activation using the Design Frequency Corpus created by Paul S. Foster. Results indicated that nonverbal spreading activation was roughly equal between the two groups. This finding supports typical AD pathology, which primarily impacts the left hemisphere of the brain and relatively preserves the right hemisphere. Additionally, results indicated that verbal spreading activation was significantly different among the two groups. Clinical and research implications of these findings will be discussed.