New research suggests that early symptoms of the Alzheimer’s disease could now be detected early with the help of a 15-minute home-based test, meaning potential treatments could be started much earlier. The new pen-and-paper-based test, called the Self-Administered Gerocognitive Examination (SAGE), consists of four interchangeable forms and takes approximately 15 minutes to complete.
The test determines the cognitive abilities of each patient by assessing the following areas:
- Orientation (the month, date and year)
- Language (verbal fluency and picture naming)
- Reasoning/computation (abstract and calculation)
- Visuospatial (3D construction and clock drawing)
- Executive (problem solving) and memory abilities
Patients can achieve a maximum of 22 points on the test, and missing six or more points may warrant a follow-up visit to a clinician, according to the researchers. This test can be carried out in almost any setting, such as at home, and prove useful in terms of early detection of cognitive impairment.
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