Comparison of rapid automatized naming performance in Parkinson's patients and healthy individuals

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the most common neurodegenerative movement disorder, and its primary motor symptoms include tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia/akinesia, and postural instability. A non-motor characteristic feature of PD is cognitive impairment. Even mild levels of impairment increase disability, and overall functional decline progresses with cognitive deterioration. In individuals with the disease, impairments in executive function, processing speed, and spatial working memory are observed even in the absence of dementia. The Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN) test continuously measures speed performance in naming sequential common elements. In Parkinson's, motor speech disorders such as hypophonia and dysarthria are frequently discussed; however, naming disorders are also observed. In this study, the performance of PD patients on RAN subcomponents (letters, numbers, colors, objects, and actions) was examined and compared with a control group matched for age, education level, and gender. Participants' demographic information were collected, followed by the administration of the Mini-Mental State Examination, Rapid Automatized Naming Task, Verbal Fluency Test, Classic Digit Span, and Diadochokinetic Rate. Statistical analyses revealed differences in the Rapid Automatized Naming task performance between PD patients and the control group. Rapid automatized naming (RAN) ability was compared across groups based on parameters such as accuracy rate, reaction time, and completion time. It was found that individuals with Parkinson's disease showed differences in RAN action naming task performances.