Detection of early Alzheimer's disease in MCI patients by the combination of MMSE and an episodic memory test
2011

Detecting Early Alzheimer's Disease in MCI Patients

Sample size: 109 publication 10 minutes Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Ana Pozueta, Eloy Rodríguez-Rodríguez, José Luis Vazquez-Higuera, Ignacio Mateo, Pascual Sánchez-Juan, Soraya González-Perez, José Berciano, Onofre Combarros

Primary Institution: University Hospital 'Marqués de Valdecilla'

Hypothesis

Can baseline clinical and neuropsychological variables predict progression from MCI to AD dementia?

Conclusion

The combination of MMSE and CVLT-LDTR can distinguish Pr-AD from S-MCI at baseline.

Supporting Evidence

  • 54 out of 109 MCI patients progressed to dementia.
  • Subjects scoring above 26/30 on MMSE and 4/16 on CVLT-LDTR had a negative predictive value of 93.93%.
  • Those scoring below both tests had a positive predictive value of 80.95%.

Takeaway

Doctors can use two simple tests to tell if someone with mild memory problems is likely to develop Alzheimer's disease.

Methodology

Patients underwent clinical and neuropsychological evaluations at baseline and every 6 months for two years.

Potential Biases

Potential bias in patient selection and follow-up.

Limitations

The study excluded patients with other identifiable causes of cognitive impairment.

Participant Demographics

115 patients, 63.3% females, mean age 74.4 years.

Statistical Information

P-Value

<0.001

Confidence Interval

95% CI = 0.674-0.873

Statistical Significance

p<0.001

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1471-2377-11-78

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