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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2016 Dec 1.
Published in final edited form as: Neuropsychologia. 2015 Oct 17;79(Pt A):158–171. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2015.10.022

Table 2. Descriptive statistics and median group difference compared to controls for storytelling characteristics classified by diagnostic group (n=46).

bvFTD svPPA AD NC P value
n=15 n = 7 n = 12 n = 12
Conversational speech produced3
 Mean± s.d. 126.8±78. 241.6±187. 167.1±123. 133.3±54. 0.31
 Range 5 9 8 9
 Median 85-504 221-558 100-5.25 115-405
284 366 354 288.5
Median group difference with controls (95% CI) 11 (-87, 103) 102.5 (-39, 226) 59 (-51, 162)
Social Attention
 Mean± s.d. 3±1.4 2.7±1.3 2.6±1.5 1.6±0.8 0.03
 Range 1-5.5 1-4.5 1-6 1-3
 Median 2.5 a 2.5 a 2 1
Median group difference with controls (95% CI) -2.5 (-5,-1)** 3 (0,4)* -2 (-3,0)
Story frequency
 Mean± s.d. 1.2±1.6 3.2±1.7 1.5±1.5 1.8±1.4 0.02
 Range 0-5 2-6 0-4 0-4
 Median 1 3 1 2
Median group difference with controls (95% CI) 1(0, 2) 1.5(0,3)* 0(-1,2)
n = 8 n = 7 n = 8 n = 9
Story speech produced
 Mean± s.d. 126.8±78.5 241.6±187.9 167.1±123.8 133.3±54.9 0.65
 Range 27-230 50-558 33-316 15-193
 Median 127.5 177 117 152
Median group difference with controls (95% CI) 3 (-103, 70) 55 (-80, 307) 18 (-97, 157)
bvFTD svPPA AD NC P value
n = 8 n = 7 n = 8 n = 9
Evaluation clauses
 Mean ± s.d. 1.1±0.5 2.2±1.8 1.9±1.1 1.2±0.6 0.16
 Range 0.6-2 0.7-5.5 1-3 0.5-2.33
 Median 1 1.5 2.34 1
Median group difference with controls (95% CI) 0 (-0.7, 0.5) 0.5 (0.3-3) 0.7 (-0.3, 1.8)
Action clauses
 Mean± s.d. 5.7±2.6 5.4±2.3 5.3±1.9 5.7±1.9 0.99
 Range 2-10.5 1.33-8 2-7.5 3-10
 Median 5.5 5 5.38 5.33
Median group difference with controls (95% CI) 0.13 (-2.3, 2.2) 0.3 (-2.8, 2.5) -0.17 (-2.7, 2)
Self-evaluation perseveration
 Mean± s.d. 1.5±0.8 4.1±3.7 2±0.7 1.4±0.3 0.04
 Range 1-3.33 1-12 1.4-3.67 1-2
 Median 1.14 3 1.84 1.4
Median group difference with controls (95% CI) -0.19 (-0.5, 0.2) 1.6(0.5, 3.1)* 0.37 (0, 0.9)
Autobiographical stories
 Mean± s.d. 1.8±1.4 3.1±1.4 0.9±1 1.8±0.8 0.01
 Range 1-5 1-5 0-3 1-3
 Median 1 3 1 2
Median group difference with controls (95% CI) 0(-1,1) 1 (0, 3)* -1 (-2, 0)*
Event specific 0.77
 Mean± s.d. 1±1.9 0.7±0.5 1.3±1.2 1.5±1.1
 Range 0-3 0-1 0-2 0-3
 Median 0.5 1 0.5 1
Median group difference with controls (95% CI) -1 (-2, 0) 0 (-1, 0) -0.5 (-1, 0)
Temporal Organization (Local)
Mean± s.d. 3.16±0.4 3.65±0.3 2.9±1 3.16±0.6 0.19
bvFTD svPPA AD NC P value
n = 8 n = 1 n = 8 n = 9
 Range 2.67-4 3.25-4 2-4 2-4.25
 Median 3 3.67 2.63 3
Median group difference with controls (95% CI) -0.05 (-0.5, 4) -0.5 (-0.0, 1) 0(-1,1)
Temporal Organization (Global)
 Mean± s.d. 4.3±0.42 4.6±0.40 4.1±0.9 4.8±0.3 0.16
 Range 3-5 3.5-5 2.5-5 4-5
 Median 4.33 4.67 4.16 5
Median group difference with controls (95% CI) -0.63 (-1, 0) 0 (-0.7, 0) -0.67 (-1.3, 0)
Complexity 0.11
 Mean± s.d. 2.8±0.8 3.2±1 4.5±1.8 3.2±0.8
 Range 1.67-4 2-4.75 2-7 2-5
 Median 3 3.5 4.13 3
Median group difference with controls (95% CI) -.3 (-1, 0.25) 0(-1, 1) 1 (0, 3)

Group effects on storytelling variables were analyzed using SAS 9.4

The first four rows represent the entire sample, the remaining six rows represent only the storytelling sample. NC = Normal Controls, AD = Alzheimer's dementia, bvFTD = behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia, svPPA = semantic variant primary progressive aphasia.

P values in the farthest right column are based on the Kruskal Wallis H test.

*

p<0.05 compared to Controls,

**

p<0.01 compared to Controls.