ADAS-CoG and mental deterioration battery: Different instruments for different aspects of cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

Objective: Aim of this study was to compare ADAS-Cog and MDB, instruments usually used in cognitive assessment of AD patients, relative to: 1) diagnostic sensitivity for dementia of AD; 2) ability to rate the progression of cognitive decline and ability to detect the qualitative characteristics of cognitive decline. Material and methods: A sample of 54 AD patients was submitted to a cognitive assessment with both battery at time of study entry (T 0) and after 12 months (T 12). Results: This study showed: 1) a better diagnostic sensitivity of MDB respect to ADAS-Cog in diagnosing patients affected by mild to moderate levels of AD; 2) a better sensitivity of ADAS-Cog to follow the cognitive decline over a twelve-months period Conclusion: These results supports the use of the MDB in the screening phase of AD patients and of ADAS-Cog to follow the progression of cognitive decline over time.