[Early Mental Test--developing a screening test for mild cognitive impairment]

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Psychometrics
• Geriatrics

Background:

• Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a precursor to dementia, crucial for early Alzheimer's Disease detection.
• Developing accessible screening tools for primary care is essential for timely intervention.
• The Early Mental Test (EMT) aims to be a user-friendly instrument for physicians.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the 6.2 version of the Early Mental Test (EMT) for screening mild cognitive impairment.
• To assess the psychometric properties of the EMT 6.2.
• To evaluate its suitability for primary care settings.

Main Methods:

• 132 subjects over 55 years old, with Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores of at least 20, were included.
• Psychometric evaluation involved the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive subscale (ADAS-Cog) and EMT 6.2.
• Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS v.17.00.

Main Results:

• EMT 6.2 demonstrated a 69% sensitivity, 69% specificity, and 69% accuracy at a cut-off of 3.45.
• Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) for EMT 6.2 was 0.667, outperforming ADAS-Cog (0.446).
• Memory and fluency subtests showed significant power in differentiating MCI from control groups.

Conclusions:

• EMT 6.2 is a rapid and simple MCI screening tool with performance comparable to MMSE.
• The test requires further refinement to enhance its clinical utility.
• EMT 6.2 shows potential for early detection of cognitive decline in primary care.