A new Alzheimers screening test called Test Your Memory (TYM) is now available. Developed by neurologist Jeremy Brown and his team at the Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, England, the written test takes only about five minutes and accurately identified this disease 93% of the time. 
Alzheimer’s Disease, named for the German physician who discovered it in 1906, is a progressive and fatal brain disease affecting 5.3 million people in the U.S. It destroys brain cells, causing problems with memory, thinking and behavior. It is the most common form of dementia, a general term for the loss of memory and other intellectual functions which are severe enough to interfere with daily life. It is estimated that over 20 million people worldwide suffer from dementia. While there is currently no cure for Alzheimers, early detection is important to initiating treatments that can delay or possibly prevent its onset and which can certainly make life more manageable when it develops. The TYM test was administered to 679 people, 540 of which had no relevant neurological history and 139 who had Alzheimers or mild cognitive impairment. These same subjects were given two other commonly used mental status exams, the “mini mental state examination” and the Addenbrooke’s "cognitive examination-revised.” The mini mental state exam has been the standard short cognitive test of choice for 30 years. The TYM detected 93% of those patients who had the disease, compared with only 52% detected using the mini mental state exam. Scores did not differ between men and women or by geographical background. Whether education level affects scoring is still uncertain, however, and Dr. Brown and his team intend to test further for that variable. The advantage of the TYM is its higher accuracy and shorter length—5 minutes—than either the mini mental status exam or the Addenbrooke’s cognitive exam-revised. Researchers are quick to point out that the TYM needs further testing, as only one clinical trial was administered. It is important to note that while you can take the test yourself, its scoring and interpretation must be done by a qualified mental health care professional. Any such testing is part of a comprehensive clinical evaluation involving a full medical history and other diagnostic testing. For more information: Return From Alzheimers to Aging Gracefully
|
