Validation of the seven-minute screen neurocognitive battery for the diagnosis of dementia in a Spanish population-based sample.
OBJECTIVE
To validate the Seven-Minute Screen Neurocognitive Battery (7MS) in an elderly population-based sample to identify dementia using a new scoring method.


METHODS
Five hundred and twenty-seven home-dwelling elderly were assessed with a neurological and neuropsychological exam. The total score of the 7MS was the sum of z scores of its subtests. Dementia was diagnosed according to DSM-IV. The ROC curve and the diagnostic parameters of the 7MS were calculated.


RESULTS
The 7MS could be fully applied in 416 cases (78.9%), and 48 were diagnosed as demented independently of the 7MS. The four 7MS subtests correctly classified 97.6% of cases by discriminant analysis; orientation and memory were the most discriminative. Factorial analysis showed a single dimension in the 7MS. The ROC curve area for diagnosis of dementia was 0.996 (95% CI 0.992-1), sensitivity 100%, specificity 95.1%, and diagnostic accuracy 96.8%. All these parameters were higher than those of other cognitive screening tests. Dementia explained 54.9% of the variance of the 7MS, and age 3.1%; sex and education did not have a significant effect.


CONCLUSIONS
The 7MS is a valid tool for the diagnosis of dementia, even when cognitive decline is mild, although it may not be appropriate for extensive epidemiological surveys.
del Ser
Teodoro
T
Sección de Neurología, Hospital Severo Ochoa, Leganés, Madrid, Spain. tdeserq@meditex.es
Sánchez-Sánchez
Fernando
F
García de Yébenes
María Jesús
MJ
Otero
Angel
A
Munoz
David G
DG
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003710:Demography; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors