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
© 2008 Adfero Ltd. All rights reserved. Any views and opinions expressed in news articles are not those of Craegmoor Limited and its associated companies. News supplied by Adfero DirectNews.
Bookmark with:
What are these?
 Delicious
 Digg
 reddit
 Facebook
 StumbleUpon
Related stories
03/07/2009 Dementia 'should attract more attention for research'
Dementia research is so far behind that for other diseases such as cancer because it is believed to be less important, according to one expert.
02/07/2009 New chair alerts staff when patients get up
A new chair being trialed in London is delighting patients' relatives.
25/06/2009 15,000 elderly may be dying unnecessarily from cancer, report finds.
Up to 15,000 people aged over 75 who die from cancer would have their lives prolonged if the UK had cancer survival rates that were on par with the best in Europe and the US , a report has found.
24/06/2009 Elderly compete in Care Home Olympics
Care home residents from around the Sheffield competed in the Care Home Olympics last week.
23/06/2009 Bus trips highlighted on National Falls day
Today marks National Falls day and bus companies are highlighting the amount of falls on buses.
|