Early detection of patients in the pre demented stage of Alzheimer's disease: the Pre-Al Study.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of the Pre-Al study is to evaluate and compare the predictive value of different tools for an early identification of Alzheimer's disease.


METHODS
Patients coming for consultation to memory clinics without dementia were included if they had an objective memory or attention trouble assessed by a MMSE score > 25 (with at least one missing item at the words recall) and / or an Isaac set test score < 28. All were examined by a neuropsychological battery (Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test, digit ordering test, WAIS-R digit symbol, Trail making test, Benton visual retention test, verbal fluency, confrontation naming and Baddeley's double task test). A subpopulation received an MRI and SPECT assessment.


CONCLUSIONS
251 patients were included (mean age: 72.0 years; mean education duration: 10.9 years). Validation of the predictive tests will be based on the comparison of these tests in patients developing dementia and others, after a follow-up of at least 3 years. This paper presents methodology of the study and the population description.
Mahieux
F
F
INSERM U610 and AP-HP Fédération de Neurologie, Hôpital de la Salpétrière, Paris, France.
Onen
F
F
Berr
C
C
Volteau
M
M
Habert
M-O
MO
Legrain
S
S
Dubois
B
B
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon