ABSTRACT
AIM: The Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) has been used in different clinical settings as a valuable quick bedside test for executive dysfunction. The aim of the study was to evaluate clinical utility of the FAB for differential diagnosis of Alzheimer disease (AD), subcortical vascular cognitive impairment (scVCI), and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). METHODS: Scores of the total FAB test and subtests were compared between consecutive series of 37 patients with AD, 31 patients with scVCI, 13 patients with FTLD, and 29 cognitively healthy individuals. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference in the total FAB scores among the groups of patients with dementia. When comparing subtest scores, patients with FTLD had significantly lower scores on the lexical fluency subtest compared to the patients with AD (P<.001) or scVCI (P<.001); patients with scVCI had significantly lower scores on the motor series subtest compared to patients with FTLD (P=.02) and AD (P=.035) and on conflicting instructions subtest compared to patients with AD (P=.033). CONCLUSION: Some FAB subtests might enhance diagnostic accuracy taking into account clinical history and other tests of executive function.
Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease/diagnosis , Dementia, Vascular/diagnosis , Frontal Lobe/physiopathology , Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration/diagnosis , Neuropsychological Tests , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Alzheimer Disease/physiopathology , Alzheimer Disease/psychology , Dementia, Vascular/physiopathology , Dementia, Vascular/psychology , Diagnosis, Differential , Executive Function , Female , Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration/physiopathology , Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration/psychology , Humans , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
AIM: The aim of this study was standardization and validation of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) in the general Croatian aging population. METHODS: Three-hundred and forty-four participants underwent the MMSE test, 217 cognitively healthy subjects without neurological and psychiatric disorders and 127 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia. RESULTS: The optimal cutoff point for screening of the general Croatian population (cognitively healthy vs. MCI and dementia) is 26/27; in the Croatian population aged ≥65 years, the cutoff point is 24/25, whereas for screening of highly educated persons (≥14 years of education) aged ≥65 years a higher cutoff point should be used (26/27). CONCLUSIONS: MMSE results when standardized and validated in a certain population might better contribute to recognition of the individuals at risk that should be directed to dementia outpatient clinics.
