title: The Brief Cognitive Assessment Tool (BCAT): a new test emphasizing contextual memory, executive functions, attentional capacity, and the prediction of instrumental activities of daily living.
abstract: The Brief Cognitive Assessment Tool (BCAT) is a new screening measure for cognitive dysfunction that emphasizes contextual memory and executive control functions. A total of 104 older adults referred for neuropsychological evaluation were recruited from assisted-living facilities. Psychometric analyses confirmed strong evidence for reliability, construct validity, and predictive validity. The BCAT's utility for identifying dementia versus mild cognitive impairment was excellent, with a sensitivity of .99, a specificity of .77, and an area under the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve of .95. Executive control, contextual memory, and attentional capacity items were the best predictors of diagnostic category and of instrumental activities of daily living.
authors.affiliation: MedOptions, Towson, MD 21204, USA. wmansbach@medoptionsinc.com
authors.forename: William E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Mansbach
authors.forename: Elizabeth E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: MacDougall
authors.forename: Andrew S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Rosenzweig
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D011594:Psychometrics; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results