Australian researchers say they have devised a first-of-its-kind tool that can accurately predict when a person will initially experience dementia symptoms based on their age and interview responses.
The Florey Dementia Index was designed using neuropsychological data from nearly 3,800 healthy participants enrolled in three Alzheimer’s disease studies. The researchers predicted when these adults would develop dementia symptoms and compared the estimate to the actual age of their diagnoses.
“Our test now needs to be prospectively validated but could potentially be used as a screening tool for people aged over 60 who have no symptoms of mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease, especially for those at risk,” said Nicholas (Yijun) Pan, a researcher at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health in Australia.
Pan co-wrote a paper published Wednesday in JAMA Network Open that revealed the results of the model, which had a margin of error of about 18 months for mild cognitive impairment and eight months for dementia.
The tool relies on patient scores in the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), which assesses memory, judgment, hobbies and other lifestyle factors based on an interview with them and their caretaker.
Dr. Liron Sinvani, director of Northwell’s geriatric hospital services, told The Post that CDR is “quite comprehensive” but “very rarely used in routine clinical practice, where providers opt for a more brief assessment.”
“So that kind of questions the practicality of this [dementia tool], although there are electronic versions of this assessment now,” Sinvani said. “But, you know, the person who is performing this evaluation requires training, and it can take 20 minutes, sometimes even longer.”
The Florey Dementia Index is not available to healthcare professionals, nor has it been tested in clinical settings. The researchers hope it will eventually give patients more time to make decisions about their care.
Nearly 7 million Americans have been diagnosed with dementia, which slowly erodes memory, thinking skills and the ability to perform basic tasks.
There is no cure for dementia or Alzheimer’s, but certain medications can help temporarily alleviate or slow down some symptoms.
“Dementia is a chronic progressive disease that is irreversible at this point. There’s no meaningful treatment that can reverse the course of the disease,” Sinvani said.
“So the question is,” Sinvani continued, “would somebody want to know whether or when they will develop dementia and is this information that can help somebody, or can it make them more nervous?”