Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40026048›Full record

ArticleThe European journal of neuroscience2025

Mechanisms of Verbal Fluency Impairment in Stroke: Insights From "Strategic Indices" Derived From a Study of 337 Patients.

Flore Dorchies, Ardalan Aarabi, Rania Kassir, Sandrine Wannepain, Claire Leclercq, Olivier Godefroy, Martine Roussel, GRECogVASC study group

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The European journal of neuroscience, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Flore DorchiesLaboratory of Functional Neurosciences (UR UPJV 4559), Jules Verne University of Picardie, Amiens, France.ORCID 0000-0001-7094-1189
Ardalan AarabiLaboratory of Functional Neurosciences (UR UPJV 4559), Jules Verne University of Picardie, Amiens, France.ORCID 0000-0001-5141-9248
Rania KassirLaboratory of Functional Neurosciences (UR UPJV 4559), Jules Verne University of Picardie, Amiens, France.
Sandrine WannepainDepartment of Neurology, Amiens University Hospital, Amiens, France.
Claire LeclercqDepartment of Neurology, Amiens University Hospital, Amiens, France.
Olivier GodefroyLaboratory of Functional Neurosciences (UR UPJV 4559), Jules Verne University of Picardie, Amiens, France.
Martine RousselLaboratory of Functional Neurosciences (UR UPJV 4559), Jules Verne University of Picardie, Amiens, France.
GRECogVASC study group

Funding

Amiens University Medical CenterAmiens University Medical Center.French Ministry of Health DGOS R1/2013/144
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Verbal fluency provides a unique index of the functional architecture of control functions because it reflects the interactions between executive processes and lower-level language processes. However, an evaluation of the number of correct words alone does not enable one to determine precisely which processes are impaired. This study investigates post-stroke fluency impairments, focusing on previously unexplored indices and their neuroanatomical correlates using voxel-based lesion symptom mapping (VLSM). In total, 337 patients and 851 controls performed letter and semantic fluency tests. Analyses included overall performance (correct responses) and strategic indices (errors, time course, frequency, switches, and cluster size). Stroke patients produced fewer correct responses, more rule-breaking errors, fewer words after 15″, fewer infrequent words, fewer switches, and smaller clusters in letter fluency. Switching was strongly associated with letter fluency, while clustering was more related to semantic fluency. VLSM identified left-hemisphere structures, particularly frontal tracts (e.g., anterior thalamic and frontostriatal tracts), associated with switching, and a smaller set of left-hemisphere structures linked to clustering. Conceptually, the findings suggest stroke-related fluency disorders primarily arise from impairments in executive strategic search, as indicated by switching impairments, with weaker impairment on lexicosemantic abilities. The rarity of rule-breaking and perseverative errors indicates that inhibition and working memory deficits do not significantly contribute to poor fluency. The patients' production of infrequent words and fluency worsened over time, although the precise contributions of the three core processes to these additional changes require further investigation. Our results highlight the importance of detailed fluency evaluations in stroke patients for optimized rehabilitation.

Indexed as

BrainStrokeVerbal BehaviorAdultAgedExecutive FunctionFemaleHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleMiddle AgedNeuropsychological TestsSemanticscognitive architectureexecutive processeslinguistic processesswitchingVLSM

Identifiers

PMID40026048
PMCPMC11873756

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