title: Detailed analysis of the supermarket task included on the Japanese version of the Rapid Dementia Screening Test.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The supermarket task, which is included in the Japanese version of the Rapid Dementia Screening Test, requires the quick (1 min) generation of words for things that can be bought in a supermarket. Cluster size and switches are investigated during this task. We investigated how the severity of dementia related to cluster size and switches on the supermarket task in patients with Alzheimer's disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  We administered the Japanese version of the Rapid Dementia Screening Test to 250 patients with very mild to severe Alzheimer's disease and to 49 healthy volunteers. Patients had Mini-Mental State Examination scores from 12 to 26 and Clinical Dementia Rating scale scores from 0.5 to 3. Patients were divided into four groups based on their Clinical Dementia Rating score (0.5, 1, 2, 3). We performed statistical analyses between the four groups and control subjects based on cluster size and switch scores on the supermarket task.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The score for cluster size and switches deteriorated according to the severity of dementia. Moreover, for subjects with a Clinical Dementia Rating score of 0.5, cluster size was impaired, but switches were intact.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings indicate that the scores for cluster size and switches on the supermarket task may be useful for detecting the severity of symptoms of dementia in patients with Alzheimer's disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Komagino Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Moriyama
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, National Defense Medical College, Saitama, Japan.
authors.forename: Aihide
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yoshino
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Taro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Muramatsu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mimura
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000592:standards*; D011594:Psychometrics; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
keywords: 
  Alzheimer's disease; 
  Japanese version of the Rapid Dementia Screening Test (RDST-J); cluster size; supermarket task; switches