The clock-drawing test is a quick way to screen for early dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. It involves drawing a clock on a piece of paper with numbers, clock hands, and a specific time. The inability to do so is a strong indication of mental decline.
Instruct the patient to draw the face of a clock, either on a blank sheet of paper, or on a sheet with the clock circle already drawn on the page. After the patient puts the numbers on the clock face, ask him or her to draw the hands of the clock to read a specific time, such as 11:20.
The test assesses many cognitive skills that may be involved in early Alzheimer's disease, such as short term memory, understanding of verbal instructions, spatial orientation, abstract thinking, planning, concentration, executive and visuospatial skills.
A score of : 10 suggests that cognitive impairment (CI) is unlikely. 8 or 9 must be interpreted clinically. <5 indicates prominent impairment.
The five-minute cognitive test (FCT) was designed to capture deficits in five domains of cognitive abilities, including episodic memory, language fluency, time orientation, visuospatial function, and executive function.
Short-term memory/delayed recall: Five words are read. The test-taker is asked to repeat them. After completing other tasks, the person is asked to repeat each of the five words again. If they can't recall them, they're given a cue of the category that the word belongs to.
The SAGE test is a 12-question exam that measures cognitive functioning and may help a physician determine whether Alzheimer's is present. It's recommended that you bring your completed test to a medical professional who can score and interpret the results. If necessary, your doctors will provide further screening.
The pooled sensitivity and specificity of the clock drawing test using the Shulman system were 82% and 75.7% respectively.
Clock Drawing Score (Total Possible Score: 0-2)
2 points for a normal clock or 0 (zero) points for an abnormal clock drawing. A normal clock must include all numbers (1-12), each only once, in the correct order and direction (clockwise).
The clock-drawing test is used to screen for early-stage dementia. This is because one of the first signs of dementia is difficulty understanding what the hands on a clock represent.
If the clock is drawn abnormally, for example, if the numbers are in the wrong places, this indicates the possibility of dementia and a need for further evaluation by a qualified doctor.
Perseveration errors are more common in AD than in normal subjects or in patients with schizophrenia. Perseveration clock-drawing errors are likely due to impairment of executive function in the prefrontal area of the frontal lobe, which is found in many dementia disorders.
A failed clock test could indicate Parkinson's Disease, Huntington's Disease, Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia, or dementia with Lewy bodies, depending on which aspects of the clock the individual is able to complete.
Most studies demonstrate 85% mean sensitivity and specificity. The CDT can screen positive for likely cognitive impairment/dementia when the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) results are unremarkable, hence identifying cognitive impairment earlier.
Dementia vs. Alzheimer's Disease: What is the Difference? Dementia is a general term for a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life, while Alzheimer's is a specific disease. Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia.
The Mini-Cog test.
A third test, known as the Mini-Cog, takes 2 to 4 minutes to administer and involves asking patients to recall three words after drawing a picture of a clock. If a patient shows no difficulties recalling the words, it is inferred that he or she does not have dementia.
Analyses of variance revealed that although those with mild or moderate/severe dementia performed significantly worse on the clock drawing test than did individuals who had very mild dementia or who were cognitively normal, the latter two groups did not differ significantly.
A score between 5.0 and 5.8 means that cognitive impairment is mild. They can still function well on their own and learn new things. At the lower range of this level, having weekly check-ins from a loved one or from other community support services can be useful.
The clock was scored from 0–4. The scoring system awards one point for drawing a closed circle, one point for placing num- bers in the correct position, one point for including all 12 correct numbers, and one point for placing hands in the correct positions.
Background: The seven minute screen (7MS) is a compilation of the temporal orientation test, enhanced cued recall, clock drawing, and verbal fluency. It has been shown to be useful for detecting Alzheimer's disease in a population of patients with memory complaints.
The Self-Administered Gerocognitive Exam (SAGE) is a brief self-administered cognitive screening instrument used to identify mild cognitive impairment (MCI) from any cause and early dementia.
A typical neuropsychological evaluation for a patient with dementia will last 2 or 3 hours, depending on the patient's tolerance, and will involve standardized testing of memory, attention, processing speed, language, visual-spatial skills, executive functioning, and motor skills.
You have trouble following a conversation. You find it hard to make decisions, finish a task or follow instructions. You start to have trouble finding your way around places you know well. You begin to have poor judgment.