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Comparative Study
. 2015;39(1-2):1-11.
doi: 10.1159/000366040. Epub 2014 Sep 11.

The Mini-Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination: a new assessment tool for dementia

Sharpley Hsieh  1 , Sarah McGrory, Felicity Leslie, Kate Dawson, Samrah Ahmed, Chris R Butler, James B Rowe, Eneida Mioshi, John R Hodges
Affiliations
Comparative Study

The Mini-Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination: a new assessment tool for dementia

Sharpley Hsieh et al. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2015.

Abstract

Background/aims: We developed and validated the Mini-Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination (M-ACE) in dementia patients. Comparisons were also made with the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE).

Method: The M-ACE was developed using Mokken scaling analysis in 117 dementia patients [behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), n = 25; primary progressive aphasia (PPA), n = 49; Alzheimer's disease (AD), n = 34; corticobasal syndrome (CBS), n = 9] and validated in an independent sample of 164 dementia patients (bvFTD, n = 23; PPA, n = 82; AD, n = 38; CBS, n = 21) and 78 controls, who also completed the MMSE.

Results: The M-ACE consists of 5 items with a maximum score of 30. Two cut-offs were identified: (1) ≤25/30 has both high sensitivity and specificity, and (2) ≤21/30 is almost certainly a score to have come from a dementia patient regardless of the clinical setting. The M-ACE is more sensitive than the MMSE and is less likely to have ceiling effects.

Conclusion: The M-ACE is a brief and sensitive cognitive screening tool for dementia. Two cut-offs (25 or 21) are recommended.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Performance on the M-ACE (a) and MMSE (b) of the patient groups and controls. Maximum and minimum scores are displayed on the box-and-whiskers graphs. All patient groups scored significantly lower than controls (p < 0.001). ** p < 0.01; *** p < 0.001.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Performance on items of the M-ACE of the patient groups and controls. Maximum and minimum values are displayed on the box-and-whiskers graphs. Significant differences between patient groups are indicated with capped lines. Significant differences between patient groups and controls are indicated below the control group. ** p < 0.01; *** p < 0.001.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Performance on items of the MMSE of the patient groups and controls. Maximum and minimum values are displayed on the box-and-whiskers graphs. Significant differences between patient groups are indicated with capped lines. Graphs for the attention domain (serial 7s) were not included as non-significant group differences were obtained between dementia groups. Significant differences between patient groups and controls are indicated below the control group. ** p < 0.01; *** p < 0.001.
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References

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