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Validation of Brain Health Test-7 for Detecting Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Early Dementia
Mei- Xian Loi M.D. 1, Hsi- Chung Chen M.D., Ph.D. 2, Ming- Hsien Hsieh M.D., Ph.D. 2, Yi- Ting Lin M.D. 2, Chen- Chung Liu M.D., Ph.D. 2, Pei- Ning Wang M.D. 3, Chih- Cheng Hsu M.D., Dr.P.H. 4, Tzung- Jeng Hwang M.D., Ph.D. 5
1 Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine and National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University, Taipei; Department of Psychiatry, Far Eastern, Memorial Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan
2 Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine and National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
3 Department of Neurology, Neurological Institute, Taipei Veterans General Hospital; Brain Research Center; Aging and Health Research Center, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
4 Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology, Institute of Population Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli County, Taipei, Taiwan
5 Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine and National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University, Neurobiology and Cognitive Science Center, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
Correspondence Address:
Tzung- Jeng Hwang
No. 7, Chung-Shan South Road, Taipei 10002
Taiwan
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None
DOI: 10.4103/TPSY.TPSY_40_20
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Objectives: We intended to develop a simple dementia screening tool to help primary care physicians identify patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and early dementia. Methods: The brain health test-7 (BHT-7) was developed based on the original BHT study. Study patients aged 50 years and above with normal cognition, MCI, and dementia were recruited. All patients received evaluation with the BHT-7, mini-mental state examination (MMSE), Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA), and clinical dementia rating (CDR) for cognitive function. The performance of BHT-7 in identifying cognitive impairment was compared with that of MMSE and MoCA. Results: We enrolled 376 study participants. The mean BHT-7, MMSE, and MoCA scores showed significant differences among the three groups. Compared to MMSE and MoCA, the BHT-7 (sensitivity = 86%, specificity = 76%, area under curve = 88%) showed better sensitivity in differentiating MCI from the normal group, with a cutoff value of 17/18. The scores of the three tests were all affected by educational level. Conclusion: The BHT-7 is a simple and easy-to-use cognitive screening tool that may be useful in primary care settings to identify patients with MCI or early dementia.
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