Validation of the Hungarian Version of Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination for Detecting Major and Mild Neurocognitive Disorders

Abstract

Aim: The screening of cognitive decline is a mandatory step in the early diagnosis and appropriate treatment of dementia to begin. In order to achieve this, an easy-to-take, validated neurocognitive test with good specificity and sensitivity are essential in the assessment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the Hungarian version of Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination (version I., ACE)- by comparing it with the conventional Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)- as a new form of assessment in order to screen for early dementia among the elderly. Study Design: Descriptive cross-sectional. Place and Duration of Study: This study is a part of a larger research, conducted among voluntary elderly from the city of Pécs (Hungary) between January 2016 and December 2018. Methodology: The study refers to 66 patients with mild neurocognitive disorder (NCD), 51 patients with major NCD, and 133 healthy participants. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (version 5.) criteria were used for the diagnosis of dementia. Statistical analysis was performed using the receiver operator characteristics method. Results: The optimal cut-off score for the ACE-I for detecting mild NCD was 82, with a sensitivity of 89% and a specificity of 96%. The optimal cut-off for the ACE for identifying major NCD was 76 with sensitivity of 98% and a specificity of 98%. Conclusion: We concluded that the Hungarian version of the ACE is an accurate test for the detection of NCD, and could be adopted in various clinical practices.