Physicians use diagnostic tools combined with medical history and other information, including neurological exams, cognitive and functional assessments, brain imaging (MRI, CT, PET) and cerebrospinal fluid or blood tests to make an accurate diagnosis.
Health care providers often use a brief test such as the Short Test of Mental Status, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) or the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). More detailed testing may help determine the degree memory is impaired.
Some of the most common blood tests ordered as part of a diagnostic evaluation for someone with changes in thinking or memory include: CBC (complete blood count), CMP (comprehensive metabolic panel), TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone), vitamin B12, RPR (rapid plasma reagin), HIV (human immunodeficiency virus).
In addition to a general physical exam, your doctor will likely conduct question-and-answer tests to judge your memory and other thinking skills. He or she may also order blood tests, brain-imaging scans and other tests that can help identify reversible causes of memory problems and dementia-like symptoms.
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 (GPCOG).
Abstract. Introduction: The five-word test (5WT) is a serial verbal memory test with semantic cuing. It is proposed to rapidly evaluate memory of aging people and has previously shown its sensitivity and its specificity in identifying patients with AD.
The five-minute cognitive test (FCT) was designed to capture deficits in five domains of cognitive abilities, including episodic memory, language fluency, time orientation, visuospatial function, and executive function.
The Mini-Cog test.
A third test, known as the Mini-Cog, takes 2 to 4 minutes to administer and involves asking patients to recall three words after drawing a picture of a clock. If a patient shows no difficulties recalling the words, it is inferred that he or she does not have dementia.
Neurological Evaluation
People may be asked to name objects, follow verbal and written commands, write a sentence, or draw a complex shape. Doctors may ask you to walk a short distance, because problems with gait can signal other conditions involving memory loss, such as normal pressure hydrocephalus.
The Mini-Cog© is a fast and simple screening test to help detect dementia in its early stages. In just 3 minutes, Mini-Cog© can help doctors and other professional care providers identify possible cognitive impairment in older patients.
When someone goes to the doctor with dementia symptoms, a brain scan can be used alongside other tests like blood tests and memory tests to find out the cause. Scans are not always used but can help a doctor to see what type of dementia someone has, and to rule out other conditions.
Functional cognitive disorder (FCD) is an under-recognised condition that is different from dementia. In FCD, cognitive difficulties with memory and thinking – particularly when the person can't maintain attention – are down to a problem with how the brain is working, rather than to loss of brain cells.
The most common memory problem, blocking is the temporarily inability to retrieve a memory. In many blocking cases, this occurs when a person retrieves a wrong memory that is similar to the one they were looking for.
The main sign of mild cognitive impairment is a slight decline in mental abilities. Examples include: Memory loss: You may forget recent events or repeat the same questions and stories. You may occasionally forget the names of friends and family members or forget appointments or planned events.
Age-related memory loss and dementia are very different conditions, though they may share some overlap in symptoms. However, normal forgetfulness is often caused by lack of focus and it never progresses into serious territory. Dementia, on the other hand, will get worse over time.
Background: The seven minute screen (7MS) is a compilation of the temporal orientation test, enhanced cued recall, clock drawing, and verbal fluency. It has been shown to be useful for detecting Alzheimer's disease in a population of patients with memory complaints.
Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE)
The MMSE is the most common test for the screening of dementia. It assesses skills such as reading, writing, orientation and short-term memory.
The 5-word memory test is a verbal test used to evaluate memory in seniors and evaluate for potential Alzheimer's disease or other cognitive declines. The test is administered by a doctor who asks the participant to remember a list of five common words and then repeat it back after some time has passed.
Simplistically, the test involves an examiner putting his or her hands into a specific shape — for example, interlocking the fingers in a particular manner — and then having the patient try to mimic it. Patients are evaluated on how well they can reproduce the specific shape created by the examiner.
The SAGE test is a 12-question exam that measures cognitive functioning and may help a physician determine whether Alzheimer's is present. It's recommended that you bring your completed test to a medical professional who can score and interpret the results. If necessary, your doctors will provide further screening.
The Six Item Cognitive Impairment Test (6CIT) is a brief cognitive function test which takes less than five minutes and is widely used in primary care settings. It involves three orientation items – counting backwards from 20, stating the months of the year in reverse and learning an address.