Short screening tests for dementia in the elderly population. I. A comparison between AMTS, MMSE, MSQ and SPMSQ

The coexistence of many screening tests for senile dementia raises the question of their potential differences. In an elderly community sample (n = 358), four different tests were applied in parallel. All tests were able to identify similar samples of subjects regarding sample size, age, education or depression. We failed to prove one test to be superior in predicting CAMDEX or AGECAT diagnoses of dementia. Yet, the individuals identified by different tests, and especially the cases of minimal dementia, were only partly identical and partly unique for each of the tests. There is a clear need for greater consensus about the use of screening tests for dementia.