Short Clinical Assessments Applicable to Busy Practices

CNS Spectrums ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 13 (S16) ◽  
pp. 6-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ziad Nasreddine
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Disorders ◽  
Word Recall ◽  
Cognitive Screening ◽  
Spatial Skills ◽  
Research Committee ◽  
Clock Drawing Test ◽  
Clinical Assessments ◽  
Visual Spatial ◽  
Practice Parameters ◽  
Increased Risk

Because biomarkers to detect Alzheimer’s disease (AD) have not yet been validated, physicians must rely on clinical assessments. The Research Committee of the American Neuropsychiatric Association recommended that the ideal cognitive screening instrument have the following characteristics: First, it should take <15 minutes to administer by a clinician at any level of training. Second, it should sample all major cognitive domains, including memory, attention/concentration, executive function, visual-spatial skills, language, and orientation. Third, it should be reliable, having adequate test-retest and inter-rater validity. Finally, it should be able to detect cognitive disorders commonly encountered by neuropsychiatrists.The American Academy of Neurology Practice Parameters from 1994 and 2001 and the Canadian Consensus Guidelines on Dementia from 2007 recommend that physicians screen subjects with suspected dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), since these patients are at increased risk for AD. Currently, there are no data on the utility of screening subjects who are asymptomatic.The most commonly used brief cognitive tests are the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), according to a survey conducted by the International Psychogeriatric Association (IPA) in 2006, followed by the clock-drawing test, the delayed-word recall, the verbal fluency test, the similarities test, and the trail-making test. Clinicians appraised these assessments as the most effective and easiest to administer (Slide 1).

IPA survey of brief cognitive screening instruments

2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 281-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth I. Shulman ◽  
Nathan Herrmann ◽  
Henry Brodaty ◽  
Helen Chiu ◽  
Brian Lawlor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Word Recall ◽  
Screening Instruments ◽  
Cognitive Screening ◽  
Screening Guidelines ◽  
Clock Drawing Test ◽  
Test Characteristics ◽  
Frequency Of Use ◽  
Health Initiatives

Background and objectives: Cognitive screening is a “first step” in detecting dementia and other neuropsychiatric syndromes and hence represents an important public health and clinical initiative. A plethora of cognitive screening instruments has been advocated in recent years, but the extent to which these instruments are used or their effectiveness is not well known. An International Psychogeriatric Association (IPA) survey was designed to determine which cognitive screening instruments were used most frequently by clinicians with special expertise in the neuropsychiatric aspects of old age and also to determine the ones considered most useful by these specialists.Method: Under the auspices of the IPA, the survey was mailed in the fall of 2004 to all IPA members as well as members of the American and Canadian Associations of Geriatric Psychiatry. The survey inquired about demographic information, the frequency of use of cognitive screening instruments, and the value attributed to the cognitive screening instruments. Participants also had an opportunity to provide written commentary.Results: A total of 334 completed surveys were processed. The majority of respondents were geriatric psychiatrists (58%). Of the 20 different instruments that were listed on the survey, only six were selected as “routinely” or “often used” by the survey respondents. These instruments in declining order were: (1) the Folstein Mini-mental State Examination; (2) the Clock Drawing Test; (3) Delayed Word Recall; (4) the Verbal Fluency Test; (5) Similarities; and (6) the Trail Making Test. “Effectiveness” and “ease of administration” were the test characteristics most highly predictive of frequency of use. Open-ended comments highlighted patient factors that continue to provide challenges, including ethnicity/culture, language, education/literacy, and sensory impairment. Respondents concluded that “no single test is adequate.”Conclusions: Psychogeriatricians worldwide routinely use a relatively small number of brief cognitive screening instruments. Further evaluation is necessary as the need increases for cognitive screening guidelines that inform public health initiatives related to dementia and neuropsychiatric syndromes.

scholarly journals The performance of the Mini-Cog in a sample of low educational level elderly

2009 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio Telles Ribeiro Filho ◽  
Roberto Alves Lourenço
Keyword(s):  
Sensitivity And Specificity ◽  
Educational Level ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Word Recall ◽  
Cognitive Screening ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Clock Drawing Test ◽  
Outpatient Unit

Abstract Objectives: To study the criterion validity of the Mini-Cog in low educational level elderly. Design: Cross-sectional and validation design. Setting: Policlínica Piquet Carneiro, an outpatient unit of Rio de Janeiro State University Hospital, in Brazil. Participants: A convenient sample consisting of 306 individuals, 65 yrs or older, selected from April 8th to July 15th, 2002. Methods: All participants underwent comprehensive geriatric evaluations which included the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the cognitive part of the Cambridge Examination for Mental Disorders of the Elderly - Revised (CAMCOG-R). They were classified as demented or non-demented (DSM-IV). A post-hoc analysis was performed on the data from the 3 word recall test of the MMSE, and the Clock Drawing Test from the CAMCOG-R, and respective scores were added and interpreted in accordance with the Mini-Cog protocol. Results: 293 individuals completed all the study steps; 211 had 4 or less years of schooling and were included in the data analysis. 32% had dementia. Mini-Cog sensitivity and specificity was consistently low independently of the different cut-off points considered. The best performance was found at the cut-off point of 2/3 which yielded sensitivity and specificity of 60% and 65%, respectively. Conclusion: The Mini-Cog is not a good cognitive screening tool for individuals with less than five years of formal education.

scholarly journals Codex (Cognitive Disorders Examination) Decision Tree Modified for the Detection of Dementia and MCI

Diagnostics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Besa Ziso ◽  
Andrew J. Larner
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Decision Tree ◽  
Cognitive Disorders ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Diagnostic Value ◽  
Word Recall ◽  
Screening Instruments ◽  
Cognitive Screening ◽  
Dementia Diagnosis

Many cognitive screening instruments are available to assess patients with cognitive symptoms in whom a diagnosis of dementia or mild cognitive impairment is being considered. Most are quantitative scales with specified cut-off values. In contrast, the cognitive disorders examination or Codex is a two-step decision tree which incorporates components from the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) (three word recall, spatial orientation) along with a simplified clock drawing test to produce categorical outcomes defining the probability of dementia diagnosis and, by implication, directing clinician response (reassurance, monitoring, further investigation, immediate treatment). Codex has been shown to have high sensitivity and specificity for dementia diagnosis but is less sensitive for the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We examined minor modifications to the Codex decision tree to try to improve its sensitivity for the diagnosis of MCI, based on data extracted from studies of two other cognitive screening instruments, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and Free-Cog, which are more stringent than MMSE in their tests of delayed recall. Neither modification proved of diagnostic value for mild cognitive impairment. Possible explanations for this failure are considered.

scholarly journals Review paper. Neuropsychological dimension of schizophrenia - evaluation possibilities and therapeutic implications

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-61
Author(s):  
Agata Makarewicz ◽  
Hanna Karakuła-Juchnowicz ◽  
Łukasz Łobejko
Keyword(s):  
Early Intervention ◽  
Cognitive Dysfunction ◽  
Cognitive Disorders ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Spatial Skills ◽  
Prodromal Phase ◽  
Therapeutic Implications ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
First Episode Of Schizophrenia

Abstract Introduction: In the last decades, researchers' attention has been focused on cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. Numerous studies indicate the existence of neurodegenerative deficits in schizophrenia including, but not limited to, motor functions, learning and memory, executive functions, attention, language, spatial skills and general intelligence. Method: A review of available literature on the topic of the past two decades, available in the Pubmed, EBSCO, SCOPUS databases has been made using the keywords: schizophrenia, cognition, early intervention. Results: Cognitive dysfunction is an important feature of the prodromal phase and the first episode of schizophrenia. Researchers have thus proposed to initiate early therapeutic interventions for people with so-called risky mental conditions. The article includes the reference to research on neurocognitive disorders essence in schizophrenia, the definition and review of methods used to identify specific cognitive deficits and issues related to risk of developing psychosis and early therapeutic intervention in high-risk states. Conclusions: Researchers report the importance of detecting cognitive disorders in the early stages of schizophrenia. This broadens the range of therapeutic interventions and enables early intervention in the increased risk of psychosis.

scholarly journals Mini-Cog versus Codex (cognitive disorders examination) Is there a difference?

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 128-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Larner
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Disorders ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Word Recall ◽  
Screening Tests ◽  
Cognitive Screening ◽  
Net Benefit ◽  
Dementia Diagnosis ◽  
Subjective Memory ◽  
Diagnosis Of Dementia ◽  
Screening Accuracy

Abstract. Mini-Cog and Codex (cognitive disorders examination) are brief cognitive screening tests incorporating word-recall and clock drawing tests. Objective: To assess and compare the screening accuracy of Mini-Cog and Codex for diagnosis of dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in patients attending a dedicated cognitive disorders clinic. Methods: Tests were administered to a consecutive cohort of 162 patients, whose reference standard diagnoses based on clinical diagnostic criteria were dementia (44), MCI (26), and subjective memory complaint (92). Results: Both Mini-Cog and Codex had high sensitivity (>0.8) for dementia diagnosis, but Codex was more specific. For diagnosis of MCI, Mini-Cog had better sensitivity than Codex. Weighted comparisons of Mini-Cog and Codex showed only marginal net benefit for Mini-Cog for dementia diagnosis but larger net benefit for MCI diagnosis. Conclusion: In this pragmatic study both Mini-Cog and Codex were accurate brief screening tests for dementia but Mini-Cog was better for identification of MCI.

scholarly journals Clinical characteristics and diagnostic accuracy of the revised Addenbrooke Cognitive Examination (ACE-R) in older adults with a low educational level

2021 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-53
Author(s):  
José Wagner Leonel Tavares Júnior ◽  
Pedro Braga Neto ◽  
Janine de Carvalho Bonfadini ◽  
Lays Bittencourt ◽  
Candida Helena Lopes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Diagnostic Accuracy ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Cognitive Screening ◽  
Spatial Skills ◽  
Immediate Recall ◽  
Visual Spatial ◽  
Visuospatial Skills ◽  
Post Hoc

ABSTRACT Objective: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination Revised (ACE-R) as a cognitive screening tool for older adults with low levels of schooling and healthy aging, MCI and dementia in Brazil. Methods: All participants underwent neurological and psychiatric examinations and were administered a validated version of ACE-R. Results: A total of 85 participants were evaluated; most were females (84.7%, n = 72). The post hoc analysis showed statistical differences in ACE-R total scores between older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and controls (p < 0.001) and in subitem scores including verbal fluency, language, visuospatial skills and attention (p < 0.001). The visual-spatial skills subitem was the most strongly correlated with schooling level (r = 0.509, p < 0.001), whereas late, immediate recall and recognition memory were not influenced by schooling. The ACE-R had the best diagnostic accuracy in discriminating between MCI and controls = 0.69 (<57.5; 80/66), MD and controls = 0.98 (<50; 100/96), MCI and MD = 0.86 (<49.5; 100/74). Conclusions: ACE-R and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores for older adults with MCI and controls were significantly lower than those reported in similar studies. These preliminary findings support the need for establishing reliable cut-off scores for cognitive assessment of older Brazilian adults with low schooling at risk for dementia taking into consideration ecological and local variables.

scholarly journals The Association between Mental Motor Imagery and Real Movement in Stroke

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 1568
Author(s):  
Ana Poveda-García ◽  
Carmen Moret-Tatay ◽  
Miguel Gómez-Martínez
Keyword(s):  
Motor Imagery ◽  
Upper Limb ◽  
Daily Living ◽  
Cognitive Disorders ◽  
Limb Movement ◽  
Spatial Skills ◽  
Upper Limb Rehabilitation ◽  
Visual Spatial ◽  
Limb Rehabilitation

Background: Stroke is the main cause of disability in adults; the most common and long-term sequela is upper-limb hemiparesis. Many studies support the idea that mental motor imagery, which is related to the visualization of movement patterns, activates the same areas of the cortex as if the movement occurred. Objectives: This study aims to examine the capacity to elaborate mental motor images, as well as its relationship to loss of movement in the upper limbs after a stroke. Method: An observational study, in a sample of 39 adults who suffered a stroke, was carried out. The upper limb movement and functionality, cognitive disorders, the ability to visualize mental images, and activities of daily living were examined. Results: The results depicted a statistically significant correlation between the ability to visualize upper limb mental motor images with movement, functionality, and strength. In addition, a correlation between visual–spatial skills and mental visualization of motor ability and upper limb movement was found. Conclusions: These results suggest that the rehabilitation approach focused on the improvement of mental motor imagery could be of interest for the upper limb rehabilitation of movement and functionality.

Frailty, with or without Cognitive Impairment, is a Strong Predictor of Recurrent Falls in a US Population-Representative Sample of Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mei-Ling Ge ◽  
Eleanor M Simonsick ◽  
Bi-Rong Dong ◽  
Judith D Kasper ◽  
Qian-Li Xue
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Strong Predictor ◽  
Word Recall ◽  
Physical Frailty ◽  
Frailty Phenotype ◽  
Clock Drawing Test ◽  
Recurrent Falls ◽  
Health Aging ◽  
Marginal Means

Abstract Background Physical frailty and cognitive impairment have been separately associated with falls. The purpose of the study is to examine the associations of physical frailty and cognitive impairment separately and jointly with incident recurrent falls among older adults. Methods The analysis included 6000 older adults in community or non-nursing home residential care settings who were ≥65 years and participated in the National Health Aging Trends Study (NHATS). Frailty was assessed using the physical frailty phenotype; cognitive impairment was defined by bottom quintile of clock drawing test or immediate and delayed 10-word recall, or self/proxy-report of diagnosis of dementia, or AD8 score≥ 2. The marginal means/rates models were used to analyze the associations of frailty (by the physical frailty phenotype) and cognitive impairment with recurrent falls over 6 years follow-up (2012-2017). Results Of the 6000 older adults, 1,787 (29.8%) had cognitive impairment only, 334 (5.6%) had frailty only, 615 (10.3%) had both, and 3,264 (54.4%) had neither. After adjusting for age, sex, race, education, living alone, obesity, disease burden, and mobility disability, those with frailty (with or without cognitive impairment) at baseline had higher rates of recurrent falls than those without cognitive impairment and frailty (frailty only: Rate ratio (RR)=1.31, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.18-1.44; both: RR=1.28, 95% CI=1.17-1.40). The association was marginally significant for those with cognitive impairment only (RR=1.07, 95% CI=1.00-1.13). Conclusions Frailty and cognitive impairment were independently associated with recurrent falls in non-institutionalized older adults. There was a lack of synergistic effect between frailty and cognitive impairment.

Cognitive Impairment after Lacunar Stroke and the Risk of Recurrent Stroke and Death

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Abraham Kwan ◽  
Jingkai Wei ◽  
N. Maritza Dowling ◽  
Melinda C. Power ◽  
Zurab Nadareshvili ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Memory Impairment ◽  
Recurrent Stroke ◽  
Cox Proportional Hazards ◽  
Hazard Ratio ◽  
Cognitive Screening ◽  
Lacunar Stroke ◽  
Domain Specific ◽  
Risk Of Death ◽  
Increased Risk

Introduction: Patients with poststroke cognitive impairment appear to be at higher risk of recurrent stroke and death. However, whether cognitive impairment after lacunar stroke is associated with recurrent stroke and death remains unclear. We assessed whether global or domain-specific cognitive impairment after lacunar stroke is associated with recurrent stroke and death. Methods: We considered patients from the Secondary Prevention of Small Subcortical Strokes (SPS3) trial with a baseline cognitive exam administered in English by certified SPS3 personnel, 14–180 days after qualifying lacunar stroke. We considered a baseline score of ≤86 on the Cognitive Assessment Screening Instrument to indicate global cognitive impairment, <10 on the Clock Drawing on Command test to indicate executive function impairment, and domain-specific summary scores in the lowest quartile to indicate memory and nonmemory impairment. We used Cox proportional hazards models to estimate the association between poststroke cognitive impairment and subsequent risk of recurrent stroke and death. Results: The study included 1,528 participants with a median enrollment time of 62 days after qualifying stroke. During a mean follow-up of 3.9 years, 11.4% of participants had recurrent stroke and 8.2% died. In the fully adjusted models, memory impairment was independently associated with an increased risk of recurrent stroke (hazard ratio, 1.48; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.04–2.09) and death (hazard ratio, 1.87; 95% CI: 1.25–2.79). Global impairment (hazard ratio, 1.66; 95% CI: 1.06–2.59) and nonmemory impairment (hazard ratio, 1.74; 95% CI: 1.14–2.67) were associated with an increased risk of death. Discussion/Conclusion: After lacunar stroke, memory impairment was an independent predictor of recurrent stroke and death, while global and nonmemory impairment were associated with death. Cognitive screening in lacunar stroke may help identify populations at higher risk of recurrent stroke and death.

Exploring the Association between Multimorbidity and Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults Living in the Community: A Review of the Literature

2021 ◽  
pp. 108482232110304
Author(s):  
Grace F. Wittenberg ◽  
Michelle A. McKay ◽  
Melissa O’Connor
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Home Health ◽  
Adverse Outcomes ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Cognitive Screening ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Increased Risk

Two-thirds of older adults have multimorbidity (MM), or co-occurrence of two or more medical conditions. Mild cognitive impairment (CI) is found in almost 20% of older adults and can lead to further cognitive decline and increased mortality. Older adults with MM are the primary users of home health care services and are at high risk for CI development; however, there is no validated cognitive screening tool used to assess the level of CI in home health users. Given the prevalence of MM and CI in the home health setting, we conducted a review of the literature to understand this association. Due to the absence of literature on CI in home health users, the review focused on the association of MM and CI in community-dwelling older adults. Search terms included home health, older adults, cognitive impairment, and multimorbidity and were applied to the databases PubMed, CINAHL, and PsychInfo leading to eight studies eligible for review. Results show CI is associated with MM in older adults of increasing age, among minorities, and in older adults with lower levels of education. Heart disease was the most prevalent disease associated with increased CI. Sleep disorders, hypertension, arthritis, and hyperlipidemia were also significantly associated with increased CI. The presence of MM and CI was associated with increased risk for death among older adults. Further research and attention are needed regarding the use and development of a validated cognitive assessment tool for home health users to decrease adverse outcomes in the older adult population.

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