The Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI): A Practical Test for Cross-Cultural Epidemiological Studies of Dementia

TLDR

The Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI) scores range from 0 to 100 and quantitatively assess attention, concentration, orientation, short‑term and long‑term memory, language, visual construction, fluency, abstraction, and judgment. The CASI permits estimation of Mini‑Mental State Examination, Modified Mini‑Mental State Test, and Hasegawa Dementia Screening Scale scores from subsets of its items and can be administered in 15–20 minutes. Pilot testing in Japan and the United States confirmed the CASI’s cross‑cultural applicability, usefulness for dementia screening, monitoring disease progression, and profiling cognitive impairment. Record forms, a manual, a videotape of test administration, and quizzes to qualify users are available upon request.

Abstract

The Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI) has a score range of 0 to 100 and provides quantitative assessment on attention, concentration, orientation, short-term memory, long-term memory, language abilities, visual construction, list-generating fluency, abstraction, and judgment. Scores of the Mini-Mental State Examination, the Modified Mini-Mental State Test, and the Hasegawa Dementia Screening Scale can also be estimated from subsets of the CASI items. Pilot testing conducted in Japan and in the United States has demonstrated its cross-cultural applicability and its usefulness in screening for dementia, in monitoring disease progression, and in providing profiles of cognitive impairment. Typical administration time is 15 to 20 minutes. Record form, manual, videotape of test administration, and quizzes to qualify potential users on the administration and scoring of the CASI are available upon request.