Screening for dementia with the Memory Impairment Screen

TLDR

Current dementia screening methods lack sufficient discrimination, prompting the development of the Memory Impairment Screen (MIS) to improve detection of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. The study aims to validate the MIS as a sensitive, specific, and reliable screening tool for AD and other dementias and to provide normative data for diverse settings. The MIS is a 4‑minute, four‑item delayed free‑ and cued‑recall test that employs controlled learning, semantic processing, and encoding specificity, with alternate forms administered to assess reliability and a criterion sample of 483 older adults used to evaluate discriminative validity. The MIS demonstrated strong alternate‑form reliability, high construct validity, and excellent sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value, and normative data were provided for settings with varying dementia prevalence.

Abstract

<b><i>Objectives:</i></b> To validate a sensitive and specific screening test for AD and other dementias, assess its reliability and discriminative validity, and present normative data for its use in various applied settings. <b><i>Background:</i></b> To improve discrimination in screening for AD and dementia, we developed the Memory Impairment Screen (MIS), a 4-minute, four-item, delayed free- and cued-recall test of memory impairment. The MIS uses controlled learning to ensure attention, induce specific semantic processing, and optimize encoding specificity to improve detection of dementia. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Equivalent forms of the MIS were given at the beginning and end of the testing session to assess alternate forms reliability. Discriminative validity was assessed in a criterion sample of 483 aged individuals, 50 of whom had dementia according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed., revised) criteria. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The MIS had good alternate forms reliability, high construct validity for memory impairment, and good discriminative validity in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value. We present normative data for use in settings with different base rates (prevalences) of AD and dementia. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> The MIS provides efficient, reliable, and valid screening for AD and other dementias.