An easy-to-use five-minute test can help to better detect and treat mild cognitive impairment and early signs of dementia. Many previously undetected dementias could be diagnosed early if the test were widely used.
Researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the Montefiore Health System developed the special test called the “5-Cog paradigm” and tested it together with experts from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in a new study. The results have been published in the journal “Nature”.
Dementia often goes undetected at first
According to the researchers, the underdiagnosis of dementia has long been a challenge in medicine. “Dementia is often not diagnosed in primary care – and even when it is diagnosed, it often remains untreated,” complains study leader Professor Dr. Joe Verghese of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Until now, most approaches to detecting cognitive impairments have been complex, expensive and can only be carried out by neurologists. With the newly developed test, the researchers attempted to remedy these deficiencies.
5-Cog paradigm – fünfminütiger Test
The “5-Cog paradigm” includes an image-based screening test for memory disorders, a short image-based symbol comparison and confirmation that the test subject has cognitive complaints, the team reports.
Importantly, the assessment can be carried out by minimally trained non-medical staff who will pass the results on to a GP. The result will be linked to recommendations to help consider next steps, including referral to a specialist.
The researchers investigated how helpful the five-minute test can actually be using 1,201 people with an average age of 72.8 years. All participants had cognitive problems and were randomly assigned to either a group that received the 5-Cog approach (599 people) or a control group that was not tested.
Improved diagnosis and treatment
The follow-up study showed that, compared to the control group, participants in the test group not only benefited from improved diagnosis of mild cognitive impairments and new dementia cases, but also from improved care, according to the research team.
The five-minute test significantly improves the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment and dementia and represents a new, better method for guiding initial treatment.
Great advantages in practice
“We hope that the results of this study can lead to changes in primary care practice so that more older people with mild cognitive impairment or dementia benefit from diagnosis and treatment of their conditions,” concludes Dr. Verghese. (fp)