[The five-word test in memory deficiency]

The 5-Word test is a bedside memory test with free and cued selective recollection. Here, we evaluated its reliability Belgian French speakers. Five groups were studied : normal subjects, depressive patients, patients with AD, patients with vascular dementia and 47 patients for a validation of a logistic model. The results of the 5-Word test with the MMSE, both values were included as variables in a logistic regression model. The probability of diagnosis of AD and dementia can be calculated and used prospectively for assessment of new cases in a validation study. The importance of the study of free and cued response during immediate and delayed recall was assessed by variance analysis in 4 groups. A third order interaction (p < 0.001) was observed between the normal and AD groups, the normal and vascular dementia (VD) groups and between AD and VD groups. With this initial model, 98% of the 62 normal subjects and the 57 patients with AD were correctly classified (p < 0.001). For AD diagnosis at the onset, the sensitivity of the MMSE is increased when it is associated with the 5-Word. This low-tech bedside method associating the 5-Word test and MMSE has a good specificity for the diagnosis of AD. It is very useful for screening a population of patients at the onset of cognitive and memory deficiency and for selecting the patients requiring an examination at a memory clinic.