Past Issues

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.