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The rise and fall of frequency and imageability: noun and verb production in semantic dementia
Bird H, Lambon Ralph MA, Patterson K, Hodges JR.. Brain and language, 2000-06-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Plain-language summary
This study examines the impact of progressive degeneration of conceptual knowledge on the content words used in connected speech elicited using the Cookie Theft picture description (Goodglass & Kaplan. 1983). We began with an analysis of control subjects' descriptions with regard to word types and their frequency and imageability. Because the impairment of conceptual knowledge in semantic dementia is graded by concept familiarity, we created a model of a standardized normal Cookie Theft description that was then progressively degraded by the systematic removal of lower bands of word frequency. We drew two main predictions from this model: reduced availability of the lower bands of word frequency should result in (a) an apparent deficit for noun retrieval in relation to verb retrieval and (b) an apparent reverse imageability effect. Results from a longitudinal study. in which three patients with semantic dementia each described the Cookie Theft picture on three occasions during the progression of their disease, confirmed these predictions. An additional cross-sectional analysis, adding narratives from a larger number of cases, demonstrated that the decline in ability to produce suitable words for the picture description is closely related to the extent of semantic impairment as measured in tests of word comprehension and production. Both verbs and nouns are affected by the degradation of semantic memory; the fact that the impairment to noun production is manifested earlier and more catastrophically may be attributed to the relatively lower frequency of these terms.
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APA 7th
Bird, H., Lambon Ralph, M. A., Patterson, K., & Hodges, JR. (2000). The rise and fall of frequency and imageability: noun and verb production in semantic dementia. Brain and language. https://doi.org/10.1006/brln.2000.2293
Vancouver
Bird H, Lambon Ralph MA, Patterson K, Hodges JR. The rise and fall of frequency and imageability: noun and verb production in semantic dementia. Brain and language. 2000. doi:10.1006/brln.2000.2293. PMID: 10872636.
BibTeX
@article{bird2000-10872636,
author = {Bird, H. and Lambon Ralph, M. A. and Patterson, K. and Hodges, JR.},
title = {{The rise and fall of frequency and imageability: noun and verb production in semantic dementia}},
journal = {Brain and language},
year = {2000},
doi = {10.1006/brln.2000.2293},
pmid = {10872636},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1006/brln.2000.2293}
}
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Key findings
- We drew two main predictions from this model: reduced availability of the lower bands of word frequency should result in (a) an apparent deficit for noun retrieval in relation to verb retrieval and (b) an apparent reverse imageability effect.
- Results from a longitudinal study. in which three patients with semantic dementia each described the Cookie Theft picture on three occasions during the progression of their disease, confirmed these predictions.
- An additional cross-sectional analysis, adding narratives from a larger number of cases, demonstrated that the decline in ability to produce suitable words for the picture description is closely related to the extent of semantic impairment as measured in tests of word comprehension and production.
Why it matters
In three patients with semantic dementia followed over time, word production declined in ways predicted by a model based on loss of conceptual knowledge. This describes language decline in a related dementia syndrome and does not test any treatment or cure.
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Study details
- Study designcross-sectional
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 50/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a snapshot of people at one point in time. Scored zero for sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Brain and language) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Brain and Language: journal h-index 214 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 4 / 12 | A snapshot of people at one point in time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2000 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 278 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 9.9 citations a year over 28 year(s) since 2000 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 6.5× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 6 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 24 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author John R. Hodges: h-index 107 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Addenbrooke's Hospital: institution h-index 1,025 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 10872636) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 50 / 100 | — |
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