How The Test Is Done
The clock-drawing test can be given by a doctor or other qualified professional. It only requires a pencil and a piece of paper with a pre-drawn circle on it.
The doctor will first ask the person to draw the numbers on the face of the clock. Next, the person will be asked to draw the hands to show a specific time. Different times can be used, but many doctors choose 10 minutes after 11 as a standard value.
One variation of the test is to provide the person with a blank piece of paper and ask them to draw a clock showing 10 minutes after 11. The word “hands” is not used to avoid giving clues. A total of three drawings is typically used with each drawing done within a specific time limit.
Two Technologies That Can Make Diagnosing Dementia Easier For Doctors And Patients
With millions of older adults projected to develop Alzheimers in the next few decades, researchers are creating novel systems for diagnosing the disease
Every year, thousands of families are forced to grapple with a heart-wrenching realizationsomeone they love has dementia. In the United States alone, more than 5 million adults over the age of 65 live with dementia, and that number is projected to grow to 14 million by 2060. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimers disease, which is caused by changes in the brain that are currently irreversible.
With doctors expected to see an unprecedented number of dementia patients in the coming decades, Boston University researchers are developing new technologies to assist them in diagnosing, predicting, and monitoring cognitive changes.
Because dementia can cause symptoms that vary in different peopleincluding problems with memory, speech and communication, healthy reasoning, and other cognitive impairmentsdiagnosing it is a challenge for doctors. Two studiesone that uses artificial intelligence to predict dementia onset, and another that uses at-home technology to track a patients progressaim to help accurately diagnose a persons cognitive decline. Knowing whether a person has dementia or a different condition that is treatable can help doctors care for patients as quickly and efficiently as possible.
What Are The Different Types Of Dementia
Various disorders and factors contribute to the development of dementia. Neurodegenerative disorders result in a progressive and irreversible loss of neurons and brain functioning. Currently, there are no cures for these diseases.
Types of dementia include:
- Alzheimers disease, the most common dementia diagnosis among older adults. It is caused by changes in the brain, including abnormal buildups of proteins, known as amyloid plaques and tau tangles.
- Frontotemporal dementia, a rare form of dementia that tends to occur in people younger than 60. It is associated with abnormal amounts or forms of the proteins tau and TDP-43.
- Lewy body dementia, a form of dementia caused by abnormal deposits of the protein alpha-synuclein, called Lewy bodies.
- Vascular dementia, a form of dementia caused by conditions that damage blood vessels in the brain or interrupt the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain.
- Mixed dementia, a combination of two or more types of dementia. For example, through autopsy studies involving older adults who had dementia, researchers have identified that many people had a combination of brain changes associated with different forms of dementia.
Learn more about how researchers are using neuropathology to address questions and complexities of dementia diseases in Inside the Brain: The Role of Neuropathology in Alzheimers Disease Research.
Read Also: What Does The Bible Say About Alzheimer’s
Blood Tests To Check For Other Conditions
Your GP will arrange for blood tests to help exclude other causes of symptoms that can be confused with dementia.
In most cases, these blood tests will check:
- haemoglobin A1c
- vitamin B12 and folate levels
If your doctor thinks you may have an infection, they may also ask you to do a urine test or other investigations.
Read more about blood tests.
Who Gives The Diagnosis
The GP will, in most cases, tell a patient about a diagnosis of dementia. If the person has been referred to a specialist for further tests or brain scans, reports of those will be sent to the GP. In some cases, a doctor may decide a diagnosis is too much for the person to cope with and may initially inform a partner or close relative.
Also Check: What Type Of Dementia Has Hallucinations
How Accurate Is The Moca
Studies have found MoCA to be about 94 percent accurate in telling whether a person has dementia or not. This means 94 percent of people who have dementia scored less than 26 out of 30 on MoCA . MoCA is therefore a useful and mostly accurate tool for identifying dementia.
Significantly for people who take the test because theyre worried they may be in the earliest stages of Alzheimers disease , MoCA is much more effective at identifying Mild Cognitive Impairment which is often considered the earliest stage of dementia. Some of the questions on the MoCA are intended to test executive function, which is the ability to focus and reason through a sequential task. In one section, this means moving from numbers to letters and back and forth in order . If youre wondering whether increased forgetfulness is a result of Alzheimers or just normal aging, this means MoCA is the best test to take.
Remember, however, that the test is meant to be administered and graded by a doctor. If you want to take a test at home, the SAGE is accurate and designed to be administered by a loved one rather than a medical professional.
Slums Scoring And Results
Depending on the question, answers count for between 0 and 5 points. Final scores range from 0 to 30.
SLUMS scores are interpreted as follows:
- 27 to 30: Normal in a person with a high school education
- 21 to 26: Suggest a mild neurocognitive disorder
- 0 to 20: Indicate dementia
Despite its value as a screening tool, the SLUMS should never be considered a substitute for a full diagnostic workup for Alzheimer’s disease or be administered by anyone other than a trained medical professional.
Read Also: What Part Of The Brain Is Affected By Alzheimer’s
Mental Ability Tests To Diagnose Dementia
People with symptoms of dementia are given tests to check their mental abilities, such as memory or thinking.
These tests are known as cognitive assessments, and may be done initially by a GP.
There are several different tests. A common one used by GPs is the General Practitioner Assessment of Cognition .
Although these tests cannot diagnose dementia, they may show there are memory difficulties that need further investigation.
Most tests involve a series of pen-and-paper tests and questions, each of which carries a score.
These tests assess a number of different mental abilities, including:
- short- and long-term memory
- language and communication skills
- awareness of time and place
It’s important to remember that test scores may be influenced by a person’s level of education.
For example, someone who cannot read or write very well may have a lower score, but they may not have dementia.
Similarly, someone with a higher level of education may achieve a higher score, but still have dementia.
Preparing For A Doctor’s Visit
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Dementia & Alzheimer’s Disease
There are a variety of ways doctors can test cognitive function in a person with dementia.
Often, a patient or a family member has picked up on clues that there is a problem with cognition.
However, are there ways to formally and objectively assess this?
The answer is, yes there are a host of cognitive tests for dementia that range from simple bedside tests that take a few minutes to perform to in-depth neuropsychiatric testing that can take a few hours.
While imaging of the brain can provide insights into brain structure and some types of brain imaging can even show metabolic and blood flow function, cognitive tests directly observe performance in certain domains and remain essential in the diagnosis of dementia.
In this article, we will describe what these tests are and how they affect the diagnosis and testing for dementia.
Who Can Diagnose Dementia
Visiting a primary care doctor is often the first step for people who are experiencing changes in thinking, movement, or behavior. However, neurologists doctors who specialize in disorders of the brain and nervous system are often consulted to diagnose dementia. Geriatric psychiatrists, neuropsychologists, and geriatricians may also be able to diagnose dementia. Your doctor can help you find a specialist.
If a specialist cannot be found in your community, contact the nearest medical school neurology department for a referral. A medical school hospital also may have a dementia clinic that provides expert evaluation. You can also visit the Alzheimers Disease Research Centers directory to see if there is an NIA-funded center near you. These centers can help with obtaining a diagnosis and medical management of conditions.
Also Check: When Should Someone With Dementia Go Into A Care Home
What Do The Results Mean From My Cognitive Testing
If your results come back normal, then no further testing is needed.
If your tests come back abnormal, you have some cognitive impairment. This test will not diagnose the cause of the impairment. It just helps your healthcare provider understand that an impairment is present.
At this point, your doctor may suggest further testing or a referral to a specialist.
Some cognitive impairments are treatable because treatable medical conditions cause them. These include:
- Thyroid disease
- Side effects of current medications
- Vitamin Deficiencies
Other cognitive impairments such as Dementia are not treatable. But with early detection and a good treatment plan may help slow the cognitive decline. A diagnosis of your symptoms may also help patients and family members cope and plan for the future.
Overview / Words Of Caution
Several online tests can help families come closer to knowing whether a loved one suffers from Alzheimers disease or a related dementia. To be clear, these tests are not designed to give a diagnosis of Alzheimers. A diagnosis requires several medical experts, as well as expensive technology and potentially unpleasant procedures such as brain scans and spinal fluid extractions. Recent studies, in fact, have shown that dementia is often misclassified when using only the following tests.
A certain degree of forgetfulness is common to most aging individuals. Mild Cognitive Impairment is a condition which is more severe than normal memory decline associated with aging, but not so severe as Alzheimers. Online tests for dementia/Alzheimers should be adequate to help families distinguish between these conditions.
Before discussing the various options available to self-administer an Alzheimers test from the Internet, some words of caution are advised.
1. No online test can definitively tell if your loved one has Alzheimers. Do not believe any website saying otherwise.
2. There are many free tests, available online, produced by universities, nonprofits and reputable medical institutions. It is strongly recommended that one use the following links to find one of these tests. Do not pay for an Alzheimers test advertised online more than likely, these paid tests are not valid and can possibly be scams.
Also Check: Did Pfizer Stop Alzheimer’s Research
Other Scans And Procedures To Diagnose Dementia
Other types of scan, such as a SPECT scan or a PET scan, may be recommended if the result of your MRI or CT scan is uncertain.
However, most people will not need these types of scans.
Both SPECT and PET scans look at how the brain functions, and can pick up abnormalities with the blood flow in the brain.
If a specialist is worried that epilepsy may be causing the dementia symptoms, an EEG may be taken to record the brain’s electrical signals , but this is rare.
Page last reviewed: 3 July 2020 Next review due: 3 July 2023
What Are The Benefits Of Early Detection
There are so many benefits of early detection of mild cognitive Impairment or Dementia. These include but are not limited to:
- Patients receive benefits, treatment options earlier.
- Patients and family members are able to research and understand the diagnosis before symptoms decline.
- More time is available to plan for the future.
- Anxiety levels are lowered because a diagnosis is put in place to understand current symptoms.
- An earlier diagnosis provides more opportunities to participate in clinical trials if you choose.
- You can participate in all advanced planning, including but not limited to transportation, living options, financial and legal matters, etc.
- Get to know your healthcare team and help build a devoted support team of friends and family.
- Established care and support service will make it easier for the family to help manage your diagnosis as symptoms progress over time.
References
Recommended Reading: Why Is It Important To Know About Alzheimer Disease
How Is Dementia Diagnosed
To diagnose dementia, doctors first assess whether a person has an underlying, potentially treatable, condition that may relate to cognitive difficulties. A physical exam to measure blood pressure and other vital signs, as well as laboratory tests of blood and other fluids to check levels of various chemicals, hormones, and vitamins, can help uncover or rule out possible causes of symptoms.
A review of a persons medical and family history can provide important clues about risk for dementia. Typical questions might include asking about whether dementia runs in the family, how and when symptoms began, changes in behavior and personality, and if the person is taking certain medications that might cause or worsen symptoms.
The following procedures also may be used to diagnose dementia:
Early detection of symptoms is important, as some causes can be treated. However, in many cases, the cause of dementia is unknown and cannot be treated. Still, obtaining an early diagnosis can help with managing the condition and planning ahead.
What Is Dementia Symptoms Types And Diagnosis
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Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning thinking, remembering, and reasoning to such an extent that it interferes with a person’s daily life and activities. Some people with dementia cannot control their emotions, and their personalities may change. Dementia ranges in severity from the mildest stage, when it is just beginning to affect a person’s functioning, to the most severe stage, when the person must depend completely on others for basic activities of living.
Dementia is more common as people grow older but it is not a normal part of aging. Many people live into their 90s and beyond without any signs of dementia.
There are several different forms of dementia, including Alzheimers disease. A persons symptoms can vary depending on the type.
Also Check: What Can You Do To Reduce The Risk Of Dementia
Predicting Alzheimers With Artificial Intelligence
To diagnose dementia, physicians typically perform cognitive tests on attention, memory, problem-solving, and other abilities, along with a physical exam, blood tests, and brain scans. This battery of evaluations can help determine whether the memory issues a person is experiencing are caused by Alzheimers or another form of dementia.
Patients walk in and doctors have to try to understand where they fall on the dementia spectrum, says Vijaya B. Kolachalama, a BU School of Medicine assistant professor and expert on using computers to aid medical diagnoses. He and his team developed a deep learning algorithm that, for the first time, attempts to predict where a person falls on the dementia spectrum and identify if their memory loss is due to dementia or other reasons.
We found that the model is clinically relevant, Kolachalama says, and is the closest any model has come to mimicking what happens in a real-life medical setting. This paper underscores the clinical significance of what we did.
Boston, for example, has really good experts that can diagnose Alzheimers, and since the model is doing that task, it could potentially minimize their clinical workload by serving as an assistive tool, he says. There are places where people dont have access to MRI or other tools, and so our model can be more valuable in those settings.