Psychological tests predict dementia

Two neuropsychological tests have been shown to accurately predict dementia of all causes in patients up to ten years in advance of its diagnosis.

"This will be helpful for clinicians concerned about the risk of progression to dementia in patients who may be healthy or present with a variety of medical and neurological conditions such as stroke," says Dr. Mary Tierney, principal investigator of a new study and director of the geriatric research unit here at Sunnybrook.

"Enhancing the long-term prediction of dementia could have important implications for clinicians who are concerned about whether their aging patients will progress to dementia or remain dementia free within a five or ten year period, and offer a route to early detection of cognitive decline," adds Tierney.

The two tests that accurately predicted dementia within ten years of diagnosis were a test of word recall memory after a short delay and a test requiring the participant to match digits and symbols. These tests require specialized training to properly administer and interpret.

Efforts such as those in this Canada-wide study must be made to identify AD and related causes of dementia as early in the disease process so that appropriate care and treatments can be provided as soon as possible. Early identification of dementia risk also allows individuals to be included in clinical trials before disease diagnosis.

The study is being published in the upcoming issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.