Relationship between cognitive processing, language and verbal fluency among elderly individuals.

Unlabelled: Some cognitive dimensions, such as attention, memory and executive functions, may decline with age, while other functions remain intact or even improve due to greater life experience.

Objective: to analyze the relationship between cognitive processing, language and verbal fluency among elderly individuals seen by primary healthcare services located in a city in the interior of São Paulo, Brazil.

Methods: a cross-sectional study with a quantitative method was conducted. A total of 149 elderly individuals were assessed through previously scheduled interviews. Data collection included a questionnaire on sociodemographic data and the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination - Revised (ACE-R). Cognitive processing (P300) was assessed using a device that captures potentials elicited in auditory tasks. Descriptive analysis and Spearman's correlation were performed with the level of significance established at 5%.

Results: a negative correlation was found between language and P300 latency, while a positive correlation was found between verbal fluency and P300 amplitude. Comprehension and naming tasks showed a negative correlation with latency. The repetition task revealed a positive correlation with P300 amplitude.

Conclusion: although more extensive testing is needed, these findings suggest that language correlates with P300 latency, whereas verbal fluency correlates with P300 amplitude.