A quick test of cognitive speed (AQT): regression-based norms for cognitively healthy 80 to 94-year olds

ABSTRACTBackground:A Quick Test of Cognitive Speed (AQT) is a brief test that can identify cognitive impairment. AQT has been validated in Arabic, English, Greek, Japanese, Norwegian, Spanish, and Swedish. The aim of this study was to develop Italian criterion-referenced norms for AQT.Methods:AQT consists of three test plates where the patient shall rapidly name (1) the color of 40 blue, red, yellow, or black squares (AQT color), (2) the form of 40 black figures (circles, squares, triangles, or rectangles; AQT form), (3) the color and form of 40 figures (consisting of previous colors and forms; AQT color–form). The AQT test was administered to 121 Italian cognitively healthy primary care patients (age range: 45–90 years). Their mean Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score was 28.8 ± 0.9 points (range 26–30 points). AQT naming times in seconds were used for developing preliminary criterion cut-off times for different age groups.Results:Age was found to have a significant moderate positive correlation with AQT naming times color (r = 0.65, p < 0.001), form (r = 0.53, p < 0.001), color–form (r = 0.63, p < 0.001) and a moderate negative correlation with MMSE score (r = –0.44, p < 0.001) and AQT naming times differed significantly between younger (45–55 years old), older (56–70 years old), and the oldest (71–90 years old) participants. Years of education correlated positively but weakly with MMSE score (r = 0.27, p = 0.003) and negatively but weakly with AQT color (r = –0.16, p = ns), form (r = –0.24, p = 0.007), and color–form (r = –0.19, p = 0.005). We established preliminary cut-off times for the AQT test based on +1 and +2 standard deviations according to the approach in other languages and settings.Conclusions:This is the first Italian normative AQT study. Future studies of AQT – a test useful for dementia screening in primary care – will eventually refine cut-off times for normality balancing sensitivity and specificity in cognitive diagnostics.

Download Full-text

Reliability and validity of a quick test of cognitive speed (AQT) in screening for mild cognitive impairment and dementia

BMC Geriatrics ◽

10.1186/s12877-021-02621-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Pouya Farokhnezhad Afshar ◽

Elisabeth H. Wiig ◽

Seyed Kazem Malakouti ◽

Behnam Shariati ◽

Sara Nejati

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽

Sensitivity And Specificity ◽

Older Patients ◽

Reliability And Validity ◽

Quick Test ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Cognitive Speed ◽

Color Form

Abstract Background Cognitive disorders are one of the important issues in old age. There are many cognitive tests, but some variables affect their results (e.g., age and education). This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of A Quick Test of Cognitive Speed (AQT) in screening for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. Methods This is a psychometric properties study. 115 older adults participated in the study and were divided into three groups (46 with MCI, 24 with dementia, and 45 control) based on the diagnosis of two geriatric psychiatrists. Participants were assessed by AQT and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation, independent t-test, and ROC curve by SPSS v.23. Results There was no significant correlation between AQT subscales and age and no significant difference between the AQT subscales in sex, educational levels. The test-retest correlations ranges were 0.84 from 097. Concurrent validity was significant between MMSE and AQT. Its correlation was with Color − 0.78, Form − 0.71, and Color-Form − 0.72. The cut-off point for Color was 43.50 s, Form 52 s, and Color-Form 89 s were based on sensitivity and specificity for differentiating older patients with MCI with controls. The cut-off point for Color was 62.50 s, for Form 111 s, and Color-Form 197.50 s based on sensitivity and specificity measures for differentiating older patients with dementia and MCI. Conclusion The findings showed that AQT is a suitable tool for screening cognitive function in older adults.

Download Full-text

A Quick Test for Cognitive Speed

PsycTESTS Dataset ◽

10.1037/t24814-000 ◽

2007 ◽

Author(s):

Maria Andersson ◽

Elisabeth H. Wiig ◽

Lennart Minthon ◽

Elisabet Londos

Keyword(s):

Quick Test ◽

Cognitive Speed

Download Full-text

Reliability and validity of A Quick Test of Cognitive Speed (AQT) in Iranian older adults

10.21203/rs.3.rs-80986/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Pouya Farokhnezhad Afshar ◽

Elisabeth H. Wiig ◽

Seyed Kazem Malakouti ◽

Behnam Shariati

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Sensitivity And Specificity ◽

Older Patients ◽

Convergent Validity ◽

Pearson Correlation ◽

Reliability And Validity ◽

Quick Test ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Cognitive Speed ◽

Color Form

Abstract Background: Cognitive disorders are one of the most important issues in old age. They may remain hidden in the early stages. There are many cognitive tests, but some variables affect their results (e.g., age and education.) This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of A Quick Test of Cognitive Speed (AQT) in Iranian older adults.Methods: This study aimed to test the psychometric properties of AQT. 114 older adults participated in the study and were divided into three groups (46 with mild cognitive impairments (MCI), 24 with dementia, and 45 without MCI and dementia) based on the diagnosis of two geriatric psychiatrists. Participants were assessed by AQT and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation, independent t-test, and ROC curve by SPSS v.23.Results: There was no significant correlation between AQT subscales and age and no significant difference between the AQT subscales in male and female, educational levels, and marital status. The test-retest correlations (r) were significant for Color (C) 0.84, Form (F) 0.91 and Color-Form (CF) 0.94. Convergent validity was significant between MMSE and AQT. Its correlation was with Color -0.78, Form -0.71, and Color-Form -0.72. The cut-off point for Color was 43.50 s, Form 52 s, and Color-Form 89 s were based on sensitivity and specificity for differentiating older patients with MCI with controls. The cut-off point for Color was 62.50 s, for Form 111 s, and Color-Form 197.50 s based on sensitivity and specificity measures for differentiating older patients with dementia and MCI.Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that A Quick Test of Cognitive Speed (AQT) is a suitable tool for assessing cognitive function in older adults.

Download Full-text