Testing to predict dementia
22 August 2008
 Neuropsychological testing could be used to predict the likelihood of the on-set of dementia in a person as they age, according to new research. A study carried out by researchers at Yeshiva University shows neurological testing can improve the accuracy of dementia predictions.Developing the accuracy of dementia predictions has critical public health implications, according to the team from Yeshiva University's Albert Einstein College of Medicine.Lead author of the study Dr. Roee Holtzer said: "Typically, when neuropsychological tests are used for diagnostic purposes, an individual's level of performance on specific tests is measured against healthy individuals to determine cognitive impairment."Dr Holtzer's team studied 897 individuals aged 70 or over and tested them twice over the course of 12-18 months.They found that repeat tests, which involved memory and IQ tests as well as assessing a patients attention span and executive function, dramatically improved the accuracy of predictions for dementia when compared with single examinations.  © Adfero Ltd
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