Quick screen shows promise for Alzheimer’s
Quick screen shows promise for Alzheimer’s
Study finds test 90% accurate in predicting risk
A simple, seven-minute screening tool developed by professionals at the Memory Clinic at Vermont Medical Center in Bennington helps distinguish between people with unrelated memory lapses and those who should be more thoroughly evaluated for Alzheimer’s disease.
Paul Solomon, PhD, co-director of the Mem ory Clinic, gave the test to 120 people, half of whom exhibited some signs of memory loss. He found that the test was more than 90% accurate in distinguishing between normal memory problems and memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s. However, he cautions that the test does not diagnose Alzheimer’s, but rather only identifies those who need further evaluation.
The test has four components:
• Cued recall. The person views four flash cards, each with a picture of a common object. A minute or two later the person is asked to recall the cards. People with normal memory make few mistakes, and if they do make mistakes, they recall the objects when given hints. People with early Alzheimer’s make many errors, and hints don’t help them.
• Orientation to time. The person is asked to state the year, month, day, and time of day. People with normal memory loss may get mixed up about the time or day. People with early Alzheimer’s often miss the month or year.
• Clock drawing. The person is given a blank sheet of paper and asked to draw a clock face with hands showing 3:40. People with early Alzheimer’s often have trouble creating the clock face and frequently place the hands incorrectly.
• Verbal fluency. The person is asked to list as many items in a certain category — for example, animals — as possible in one minute. People with normal memory loss compile considerable lists. People with Alzheimer’s come up with only a few items.
In addition to qualitative differences, each component can be scored numerically. Case managers can order the seven-minute screen, an instruction booklet, and a training video by faxing a request including name, address, and telephone number to (802) 442-5199. The materials are free.
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