As published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One, researchers from Kanazawa University developed a test capable of rapidly detecting mild cognitive impairment among adults.
Known as the computerized assessment battery for cognition (C-ABC), the test was administered for a span of 10-30 minutes among each participant. The age range of participants varied between 50 to 85 years old, with normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia.
“We performed C-ABC in subjects with dementia, MCI, and normal cognition, and analyzed by age stratum (50s, 60s, and 70–85 years),” the authors stated in their findings.
“To distinguish MCI from NC, the C-ABC total combined score, which were calculated by dividing the C-ABC total score by the C-ABC required time, revealed the best area under the curves (AUC) at 0.838 and 0.735 in the 50s and 60s age groups, respectively; notably, this entire procedure took approximately 5 min.”
The series of cognitive tests revealed that just two questions could distinguish the participants with normal cognition and those with mild cognitive impairment.
Researchers infer that C-ABC testing could be an appropriate tool for the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment and dementia.
“In conclusion, we developed the new C-ABC that could detect patients with MCI and dementia in older adults with high sensitivities or specificities in approximately 5 min. Furthermore, the items 3 + 6 combined score could detect patients with dementia in only around 2 min,” the authors of the study concluded.
