DemTect
DemTect ( dementia detection ) is a test procedure for dementia diseases. The test was developed in 2000 by Pasquale Calabrese (University Clinic Bochum), Josef Kessler (AG: Neuropsychology, University Clinic Cologne) and Elke Kalbe (Medical Psychology | Neuropsychology & Gender Studies, University Clinic Cologne).
Implementation & evaluation
The DemTect is carried out in the form of an oral and written questionnaire and the patient’s performance is recorded on a test sheet by the examiner. It contains five exercises on the functions of verbal memory, fluency, intellectual flexibility and attention. The implementation is very quick (8-10 minutes). Content:
- Hear and repeat word list
- Convert numbers and numerals
- Supermarket task (list 30 items available in a supermarket)
- Repeat number sequences backwards
- Repeat word list again
The raw scores of the test are recoded into test scores (separately for under and over 60-year-olds) and then added up so that the final test scores are comparable regardless of age. The scale ranges from 0 to 18 points: values from 13 points indicate adequate cognitive performance, between 9 and 12 points mild cognitive impairment can be assumed, and values below 8 indicate dementia. The test values should not only be independent of the age-related decline in cognitive abilities, but also independent of the level of education.
Standardization & Research
The authors of the test report very good validity and high level agreement for their instrument. The test was standardized on a total of 363 people (145 healthy people, 97 patients with mild cognitive impairments, 121 with suspected Alzheimer's disease) and compared with the MMST .
A large number of scientific studies are available for the test, all of which confirm that it has good psychological test values. Kohn, Kalbe, Georg & Kessler could e.g. B. 2007 again demonstrated the high sensitivity (97%) and specificity (93%) of the DemTect. They also found that the DemTect is even superior to the popular MMST in terms of the respective cut-off value . They conclude optimistically: "Especially in the area of beginning and only slightly advanced cognitive disorders, the DemTect is far superior to the MMST." Since the DemTect is a relatively "young" test, there is less experience from everyday clinical practice. However, it quickly found widespread acceptance and even found its way into psychiatric textbooks.
rating
All in all, the DemTect is a good test for the early detection of dementia, whereby it correctly detects more affected people than the more common MMST. The DemTect is economical to run and is available in both a German and an English version.
However, some restrictions must be taken into account: Unlike the MMST, the visual-constructive capabilities cannot be checked using the DemTect. These can e.g. B. be checked by adding the clock mark test . The premorbid intellectual level must also be taken into account when interpreting the test values. In addition, no studies have been carried out to date on what the results of the DemTect look like in pseudo-dementias (reduction in cognitive abilities, e.g. due to age-related depression).
Most important restriction: the DemTect is a screening process. The confirmation of the dementia diagnosis through more detailed psychological tests and the differential diagnostic classification of the dementia through structural imaging ( CT , MRT , PET ) and laboratory diagnostics ( blood count , vitamin B12 level, blood sugar , liver values, kidney values, electrolytes, thyroid hormones, CRP ) is essential .
literature
- S. Brunnhuber, S. Frauenknecht, K. Lieb: Intensive course in psychiatry and psychotherapy. Urban & Fischer, Munich 2005, ISBN 3-437-42131-X , p. 122f.
- E. Kalbe, J. Kessler, P. Calabrese, R. Smith, A. P. Passmore, M. Brand, R. Bullock: DemTect: a new, sensitive cognitive screening test to support the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment and early dementia. In: International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 2004; 19, pp. 136-143. doi : 10.1002 / gps.1042 PMID 14758579
- J. Kessler, P. Calabrese, E. Kalbe, F. Berger: DemTect. A new screening procedure to support the diagnosis of dementia. In: Psycho. 2000; 6, pp. 343-347.
- N. Kohn, E. Kalbe, H. Georg, J. Kessler: Comparison of MMST and DemTect: Specificity and sensitivity in primarily cognitive disorders. In: Current Neurology. 2007; 34, P672. doi : 10.1055 / s-2007-987943