The Famous Faces Test: A Systematic Review of Its Design and Potential for Detecting Early Alzheimer's Disease

ObjectiveEarly Alzheimer's disease (AD) is currently diagnosed using costly and invasive biomarkers. The Famous Faces Test (FFT) may detect (subtle) cognitive impairment earlier than standard neuropsychological tests. This review aimed to identify methodological variation across FFTs and evaluate their ability to detect early AD.MethodsFollowing PRISMA guidelines, four databases were searched. Studies were included if an FFT was used, participants were older adults or on the AD-continuum, cognitive performance-based data were reported, and the paper was a journal article or dissertation. Extracted information was clustered into stimulus characteristics, performance assessment, and participant characteristics.Results39 of 550 records met the inclusion criteria. Methodological heterogeneity was substantial. FFT performance was predominantly lower in AD-continuum individuals than in controls.ConclusionRecommendations for future studies using an FFT are provided, and evidence supporting its potential clinical sensitivity is reviewed. Longitudinal studies are needed to establish its utility in detecting early AD.