Simplistically, the test involves an examiner putting his or her hands into a specific shape — for example, interlocking the fingers in a particular manner — and then having the patient try to mimic it. Patients are evaluated on how well they can reproduce the specific shape created by the examiner.
Introduction: The five-word test (5WT) is a serial verbal memory test with semantic cuing. It is proposed to rapidly evaluate memory of aging people and has previously shown its sensitivity and its specificity in identifying patients with AD.
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.
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.
The Self-Administered Gerocognitive Exam, known as SAGE, is a brief, pen-and-paper cognitive assessment tool designed to detect the early signs of cognitive, memory, or thinking impairments. The test evaluates your thinking abilities.
The SAGE test is a 12-question exam that measures cognitive functioning and may help a physician determine whether Alzheimer's is present.
The 5-word memory test is a verbal test used to evaluate memory in seniors and evaluate for potential Alzheimer's disease or other cognitive declines. The test is administered by a doctor who asks the participant to remember a list of five common words and then repeat it back after some time has passed.
A list of ten unrelated words are orally presented one by one, and subjects are instructed to recall as many items as possible immediately after their presentation (immediate free recall, the traditional span task) and after a predetermined time, in general 5 to 10 minutes (delayed free recall).
Solomon, PhD developed a brief neurocognitive screening battery to identify AD patients. The 7 Minute Screen™ consists of four individual tests (orientation, memory, clock drawing, verbal fluency). The screen can be rapidly administered and scored and therefore may be appropriate for use in the primary care setting.
The Six Item Cognitive Impairment Test (6CIT) is a brief cognitive function test which takes less than five minutes and is widely used in primary care settings. It involves three orientation items – counting backwards from 20, stating the months of the year in reverse and learning an address.
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.
The MoCA is a 30-item test that allows healthcare providers to find out how well a person's thinking abilities are functioning. The MoCA test checks language, memory, visual and spatial thinking, reasoning, and orientation skills.
The main sign of mild cognitive impairment is a slight decline in mental abilities. Examples include: Memory loss: You may forget recent events or repeat the same questions and stories. You may occasionally forget the names of friends and family members or forget appointments or planned events.
Difficulties with memory are the most well-known first signs of dementia. For example, a person may not recall recent events or may keep losing items (such as keys and glasses) around the house. Memory loss is often the first and main symptom in early Alzheimer's disease.
Similarly, a person is scored as unlikely to have dementia if they recall all three words or if they recall one or two of the three words but draw a normal clock. One point is given for each of the three words that are correctly recalled after performing the clock drawing test.
The Four Word Short-Term Memory Test presents subjects with four words at the rate of one word per second and subjects are then asked to recall the words following a distractor interval of counting backwards by threes for 5, 15 or 30 s.
A short term memory test is very self-explanatory. The user is shown multiple digits of numbers and asked to remember them. Then, the numbers are taken off the screen and the user is asked to type the numbers they remembered in.
The MMSE includes questions that measure:
Ability to remember a short list of common objects and later, repeat it back. Attention and ability to do basic math, like counting backward from 100 by increments of 7. Ability to name a couple of common objects. Complex cognitive function, like asking someone to draw a clock.
While dementia is a general term, Alzheimer's disease is a specific brain disease. It is marked by symptoms of dementia that gradually get worse over time. Alzheimer's disease first affects the part of the brain associated with learning, so early symptoms often include changes in memory, thinking and reasoning skills.
The maximum score for the MMSE is 30. A score of 25 or higher is classed as normal. If the score is below 24, the result is usually considered to be abnormal, indicating possible cognitive impairment.
Neuropsychological evaluation.
This process lasts around four hours and includes a series of in-depth analyses, such as one-on-one interviews and written and oral tests.
There is no single definitive test for diagnosing dementia. Assessment will account for behavioural, functional and psychosocial changes, together with radiological and laboratory tests. The assessment process may take three to six months to achieve.
Scores on the MMSE range from 0 to 30, with scores of 25 or higher being traditionally considered normal. Scores less than 10 generally indicate severe impairment, while scores between 10 and 20 indicate moderate dementia. People with early stage Alzheimer's disease tend to score in the 20 to 25 range.