Simple Test' Improves Dementia Prediction Rates

A study published in Annals of Family Medicine found the Visual Association Test (VAT) may help identify people with declining Mini-Mental State Examination scores who are at higher risk for dementia, reports Healio . The researchers assessed the change in Mini-Mental State Examination scores in 2,690 individuals over two years and VAT scores at two years, with the average follow-up period 6.7 years. Subjects with a Mini-Mental State Examination score that fell by two points or more over a two-year period had a greater risk for dementia. Those with the same decline in that score, along with an imperfect VAT score, had even higher risk. However, a one-point decline in Mini-Mental State Examination score raised the chances for dementia only when the VAT score was imperfect. "The Visual Association Test score has incremental value in discriminating between older adults with and without increased risk of dementia, especially among those with a minor decline in Mini-Mental State Examination score," the researchers wrote. "This simple test may help distinguish older adults who need further cognitive examination from those in whom a watchful waiting policy is justified."