Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 23, 2026

The 4 Mountains Test: A Short Test of Spatial Memory with High Sensitivity for the Diagnosis of Pre-dementia Alzheimer's Disease
Published on: October 13, 2016
The mini-SKQ (semantic knowledge questionnaire): a quick screening tool to assess semantic memory impairment in
Isabelle Simoes Loureiro1, Mathilda Taverne1, Laurent Lefebvre1
1Service de psychologie cognitive et neuropsychologie, Institut des sciences et technologies de la santé, Université de Mons, Belgique.
Abstract:
The breakdown of semantic memory appears early in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Lexico-semantic difficulties (e.g. difficulties in retrieving words and their meaning) are among the first symptoms of the disease. In order to screen this lexico-semantic decline, we propose the mini-SKQ, a semantic knowledge questionnaire. Mini-SKQ explores semantic impairment in AD patients with 12 questions. We administer mini-SKQ to 77 participants, 39 AD and 38 healthy old people. Results showed a significant difference between the groups: AD patients made significantly more errors than healthy old people. The Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis established the optimal cut-off score of the mini-SKQ at 3 errors (sensitivity 61,5%, specificity 89,5%) in differentiating between AD patients and healthy old people. The mini-SKQ is a fast and easily administered questionnaire. Results indicated favorable indicators to screen semantic knowledge. These first observations underline that mini-SKQ could potentially be attractive for screening semantic memory deterioration.
Related Concept Videos
Alzheimer's Disease: Overview
The clinical diagnosis of AD hinges on the presence of memory and other cognitive impairments. Biomarkers, such as changes in Aβ and tau...
Dementia
The progression of dementia is generally gradual.
Alzheimer Disease l: Introduction
Dementia l: Introduction

