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The northwestern anagram test: measuring sentence production in primary progressive aphasia
Weintraub S, Mesulam MM, Wieneke C, Rademaker A, Rogalski EJ, Thompson CK.. American journal of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, 2009-08-21
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a clinical dementia syndrome with early symptoms of language dysfunction. Postmortem findings are varied and include Alzheimer disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), both tauopathies and TAR DNA binding protein (TDP-43) proteinopathies. Clinical-pathological correlations in PPA are complex but the presence in the clinical profile of agrammatism has a high association with tauopathy. Grammatical competence is difficult to assess in the clinical setting with available methods. This article describes the Northwestern Anagram Test (NAT), a new clinical measure of sentence production. A total of 16 patients with PPA and their controls assembled single printed words to create sentences describing pictures. Northwestern Anagram Test performance was significantly correlated with a measure of sentence production and with aphasia severity but not with measures of naming, single word comprehension, object recognition, or motor speech. The NAT can be used to assess syntax competence when patients cannot be tested with measures that require intact speech production.
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APA 7th
Weintraub, S., Mesulam, M. M., Wieneke, C., Rademaker, A., Rogalski, E. J., & Thompson, C. K. (2009). The northwestern anagram test: measuring sentence production in primary progressive aphasia. American journal of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. https://doi.org/10.1177/1533317509343104
Vancouver
Weintraub S, Mesulam MM, Wieneke C, Rademaker A, Rogalski EJ, Thompson CK. The northwestern anagram test: measuring sentence production in primary progressive aphasia. American journal of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. 2009. doi:10.1177/1533317509343104. PMID: 19700669.
BibTeX
@article{weintraub2009-19700669,
author = {Weintraub, S. and Mesulam, M. M. and Wieneke, C. and Rademaker, A. and Rogalski, E. J. and Thompson, C. K.},
title = {{The northwestern anagram test: measuring sentence production in primary progressive aphasia}},
journal = {American journal of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias},
year = {2009},
doi = {10.1177/1533317509343104},
pmid = {19700669},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1177/1533317509343104}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Northwestern Anagram Test performance was significantly correlated with a measure of sentence production and with aphasia severity but not with measures of naming, single word comprehension, object recognition, or motor speech.
Why it matters
The Northwestern Anagram Test measured sentence production in 16 patients with primary progressive aphasia and correlated with sentence production and aphasia severity. This is a new assessment tool for a language disorder, not a treatment or cure for Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Participants16
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 46/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (American journal of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias) |
| Journal's citation record | 1 / 4 | American Journal of Alzheimer s Disease & Other Dementias®: journal h-index 93 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2009 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 16 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 186 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 9.8 citations a year over 19 year(s) since 2009 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 4.1× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 9 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 26 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Cynthia K. Thompson: h-index 68 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Northwestern University: institution h-index 1,592 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 19700669) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 46 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1177/1533317509343104
- PubMed: 19700669
- Original source →
- Free full text: American Journal of Alzheimer s Disease & Other Dementias® →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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