Dementia Test

A majority of elderly people feel that they are not as mentally alert as they used to be. While some people become very forgetful and keep misplacing things, some may lose the ability to recall events that took place in the recent past. Though a loss of mental function might be brought on by old age, at times, the cognitive function might get affected due to certain mental illnesses. The age-related mild cognitive impairment could sometimes progress to dementia. Dementia is basically a group of symptoms that hint towards the impairment of mental functions. A person suffering from dementia might come across as confused or disoriented. Dementia can even affect one's ability to perform daily activities. Though you might come across many cases of dementia in the elderly, at times, it might hit one before old age dawns. So, what causes dementia and how is it diagnosed? Do medical practitioners use a dementia test for the diagnosis of this neurological disorder? Scroll down to find out the answers to these questions.

Causes of Dementia

Though dementia is not a disease in itself, it is actually a group of symptoms that are associated with impairment of cognitive abilities. There are many types of dementia and the symptoms vary depending on the part of the brain that is affected by dementia. When the cerebral cortex in the brain gets affected, one is diagnosed with cortical dementia. Since this part of the brain helps one process information and affects our ability to reason and remember things, a person suffering from cortical dementia often suffers from loss of memory and finds it hard to recall words or events. Alzheimer's disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease are some of the medical conditions that are categorized under cortical dementia. When the part of the brain that lies beneath the cerebral cortex is affected, one is diagnosed with subcortical dementia. Medical conditions such as Huntington's disease and Parkinson's disease are categorized under subcortical dementia.

Besides these conditions, damage to brain cells could occur due to blockage in the arteries serving the brain. Under such circumstances, one is diagnosed with vascular dementia. Accumulation of proteins inside the nerve cells in the brain can also cause this condition. These proteins are referred to as Lewy bodies. Dementia could also be caused due to alcohol abuse, substance abuse, subdural hematoma, hypothyroidism, hypoglycemia or metabolic disorders. The symptoms of dementia will vary depending on the type of dementia one is suffering from. However, the common signs and symptoms of dementia include behavioral problems, memory loss, difficulty in communicating, inability to use words correctly, difficulty in reasoning, problems associated with coordination and motor functions and slow reaction time.

Dementia Testing

So, how is dementia diagnosed? Though one may come across online screening tests for dementia or questionnaires for the assessment of memory and reaction time, it is always better to consult a doctor for proper diagnosis. How do health care experts determine if someone is suffering from dementia or not? Is there a simple dementia screening test that can help in the diagnosis of this condition? Well, besides analyzing the patient's medical history, doctors might conduct some neuropsychological dementia screening tests to examine the patient's mental health. Out of these, Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) is a dementia screening test that is widely used by the doctors. Also known as Folstein test, this screening test involves an assessment of cognitive function and other aspects such as visuospatial ability, word recall, attention, orientation to time and place, calculation and language ability. If the test scores are higher than 25 out of the total score of 30, then there is no need to worry. Scores below ten indicate impairment of cognitive functions. This test is not only used as a screening test but also used to determine the severity of the impairment of cognitive function at a particular time along with the changes that take place in an affected individual over a period of time.

The Mini-Cog is another screening test for the Alzheimer's disease. While the MMSE takes around 5-10 minutes, the Mini-Cog test is a 3-minute test. This is a screening tool where the person suspected of suffering from mental decline is asked to repeat three unrelated words. The person is also asked to draw a clock with the numbers and hands to show a specific time. After the person finishes the clock drawing test, he/she is asked to recall the three words. A family member or a friend would also be asked to fill in a questionnaire. If the person is unable to draw the clock properly and cannot recall the three words, further testing would be done to confirm the diagnosis of dementia and identify the underlying medical condition that could be responsible for causing dementia.

Besides this test, Abbreviated Mental Test, Modified Mini-Mental State Examination (Modified version which includes larger number of test items and graded scoring system for a better assessment), Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument, The General Practitioner Assessment of Cognition, The Six item Cognitive Impairment Test, Test Your Memory Test and Informant Questionnaires on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly are some of the dementia tests that are used for checking the mental functions. While the cognitive abilities of the affected individual can be assessed by tests that he/she takes, even the family members are often asked to fill out certain questionnaires so as to assess the cognitive abilities or the degree of impairment. Informant Questionnaires on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly comprises a set of questions that are used for the assessment of age dementia symptoms. The test scores can help doctors ascertain whether one is suffering from dementia or not.

When it comes to diagnosing vascular dementia, besides these neuropsychological tests, imaging procedures such as CT scan, MRI scan and ultrasound might be conducted. Routine blood tests and imaging studies are ordered as these can help the doctors in diagnosing co-existing medical conditions, if any. For instance, dementia could occur due to hydrocephalus, hypoglycemia, subdural hematoma, drug and alcohol abuse, hypothyroidism, metabolic disorders or tumors. While these conditions can be treated, there are certain medical conditions that cause progressive dementia. Unlike the aforementioned conditions, dementia due to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease is not treatable since these conditions themselves are considered incurable. However, a team of medical experts such as the physician, neuropsychologist, speech/language therapist and occupational therapist can guide the family members of the affected individual so as to manage the symptoms and make the life of the affected individual somewhat easier.

This was all about screening tests for dementia. Though some types of dementia are not treatable, drug therapy can help in slowing down the progression of this condition. If one is suffering from alcohol dementia or any other type of dementia that is curable, a timely diagnosis and treatment can help in alleviating the symptoms of dementia in seniors. Those suffering from deteriorating mental functions must therefore seek medical assistance at the earliest.