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Dementia Tests
Can you test for Dementia?
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You can't test for Dementia itself, but you can test for Cognitive Impairment
Dementia is collective term for a group of symptoms caused by physical changes to the brain that disrupt its function. It can be caused by several different conditions.
Disrupting brain function causes issues with the ability that area of the brain is responsible for, this is called a cognitive impairment.
We can test our mental abilities to see if they're impaired, but only medical interventions (Brain imaging or spinal fluid tests) can tell us if it's due to Dementia or not.
How do I test my cognitive abilities?
Commonly impacted cognitive functions
Memory
The most well known symptom of dementia is problems with memory formation and recall.
Decision Making
People can become easily overwhelmed and struggle to plan and coordinate themselves.
Perception
Difficulty differentiating between things, visually and auditory
Language
Finding words and following complex conversations can become much harder
Neuropsychological tests
The scientific way to measure the functions of the brain, they are commonly performed by Psychologists who assess you based on both your score & how you complete the test.
The most accurate way to assess changes in your abilities is to test them over time, so you compare yourself to yourself.
If you only do these once, and your score is compared to averages. They don't account for your personal baseline levels of intelligence, education, language etc.
Your GP can refer you to a specialist memory clinic or clinical psychologist to get evaluated if they deem your issues to be severe and not easily attributable to other conditions.
Read more about the diagnostic process here.
Neuropsychological tests
Commonly performed by Psychologists who assess you based on both your score & how you complete the test.
The most accurate way to assess changes in your abilities is to test them over time, so you compare yourself to yourself.
If you only do these once, and your score is compared to averages. They don't account for your personal baseline levels of intelligence, education, language etc.
Regular testing is only available privately and costs 100's of pounds each time.
Your GP can refer you to a specialist memory clinic or clinical psychologist to get evaluated if they deem your issues to be severe and not easily attributable to other conditions.
The require you to complete very specific tasks designed carefully to engage a certain cognitive skill.
However, if they suspect Dementia they could choose to assess first using simplified versions...
Comparing yourself to yourself is the most accurate way to assess change
Private psychology practices require several hours and several hundred pounds to do neuropsychological assessments.
Cognitive Screeners
These tests are designed to be used as part of a wider evaluation by a certified health professional, their results require a lot of contextual consideration to interpret.
You may have herd of Dementia screening tests. There are multiple versions suggested for use in the NHS:
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The 10-point cognitive screener (10-CS)
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The 6-item cognitive impairment test (6CIT)
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The 6-item screener
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The Memory Impairment Screen (MIS)
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The Mini-Cog
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Test Your Memory (TYM)
The MAIN problem with screening tests
Lacking sensitivity
Scoring is based off population averages.
They don't account for your personal baseline levels of intelligence, education, language etc.
Leading to potential false positives / negatives.
A result classified as 'impaired' requires an already pretty significant issue.
They are unable to pick up the earlier stages of decline.
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Further consideration
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Diversity Bias: Their designs have been claimed to be culturally bias, having been mostly tested on white, western groups.
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Language Bias: Scoring assumes you'll be answering in your first language.
Limited Scope
These tests often assess specific cognitive domains, such as memory and attention, but don't measure all the cognitive dimensions impacted by Dementia.
Some common symptoms can't be 'tested' for
Functions that get overlooked
Mood
Depression & Anxiety can be caused by the disruption to the brain.
Changes like this are the first signs of early onset Alzheimer's (40s/50s) unlike memory loss which is more common over 65s
Personality & Behaviour
Things like impulsivity and agitation, apathy, often big changes in behaviour.
This is the prime symptom of Frontotemporal Dementia, which is early onset 40-60 years old.
Sleep
Sleep disorders can be both a contributing cause and a symptom of poor brain health.
This is the main early symptom of Lewy Body Dementia, one of the 4 most common types.
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Your vitals
Sleep & mood are key to cognitive health.
Getting proper sleep & managing your stress both reduce the risk of Dementia - they also indicate when something's off.
MINDer is designed to capture these in less than 30s a day
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Check in with yourself in a few clicks.
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Learn how to improve
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Get automatic summaries that flag patterns.
Keep on top of your overall mental health whilst you're proactively keeping an eye out for signs of cognitive decline.
1. There's a lot of treatable reasons why you may experience cognitive issues, see your doctor ASAP.
Summary
2. Only Brain Imaging and CSF tests can tell you conclusively if you have Dementia and what type, no single test of abilities can.
3. The most accurate way to tell if you're having long term changes in ability is to regularly test yourself over time.
4. Never trust any online tests that tell you they can diagnose you. Screening tests are not meant for use in isolation.
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Which Dementia Risk Factors do you have & how can you go about eliminating them
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