HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS REGISTER		Author Keyword(s) Vol Page [Advanced]

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this link to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Add article to my folders Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Meulen, E F J Articles by Verhey, F R Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Meulen, E F J Articles by Verhey, F R

The seven minute screen: a neurocognitive screening test highly sensitive to various types of dementia

¹ Departments of Clinical Geriatrics and Medical Psychology, General Hospital Slotervaart, Slotervaart, Netherlands
² Departments of Neurology and Psychology, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
³ Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Limburg, Netherlands
⁴ Department of Neurology, Vrije Universiteit Medical Centre, Amsterdam

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr Etienne Meulen
Department of Clinical Geriatrics, Monsterseweg 89, 2553 RJ The Hague, Netherlands; efjmeulen{at}hotmail.com

Background: The seven minute screen (7MS) is a compilation of the temporal orientation test, enhanced cued recall, clock drawing, and verbal fluency. It has been shown to be useful for detecting Alzheimer’s disease in a population of patients with memory complaints.

Objective: To assess the predictive validity of the 7MS for various types of dementia, and the influence of depression and other psychiatric conditions on 7MS scores.

Setting: Multicentre: secondary referral sites across the Netherlands.

Subjects: 542 patients with various types of dementia or depression, together with 45 healthy controls.

Results: Alzheimer’s disease was diagnosed in 177 patients, other types of dementia in 164. The sensitivity of the 7MS for Alzheimer’s disease was 92.9% with a specificity of 93.5%. For other types of dementia the sensitivity was 89.4% and the specificity 93.5%. Cognitive abnormalities were found in 71% of the patients with depression (n = 31). The mean (SD) duration of administration of the 7MS was 12.4 (4.6) minutes, range 8 to 22, depending on dementia severity.

Conclusions: The 7MS is a useful screening tool for discriminating patients with dementia from cognitively intact patients. This not only applies to Alzheimer’s disease but also to other types of dementia. Specificity with respect to depression was lower for the 7MS than for the MMSE.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; cognitive screen; dementia; depression

Abbreviations: ADRDA, Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Association; DSM-IV, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th revision; MMSE, mini-mental state examination; NINDS, National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke; 7MS, seven minute screen

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. Sundelof, J. Arnlov, E. Ingelsson, J. Sundstrom, S. Basu, B. Zethelius, A. Larsson, M. C. Irizarry, V. Giedraitis, E. Ronnemaa, et al. Serum cystatin C and the risk of Alzheimer disease in elderly men Neurology, September 30, 2008; 71(14): 1072 - 1079. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. R. Krull, M. F. Okcu, B. Potter, N. Jain, Z. Dreyer, K. Kamdar, and P. Brouwers Screening for Neurocognitive Impairment in Pediatric Cancer Long-Term Survivors J. Clin. Oncol., September 1, 2008; 26(25): 4138 - 4143. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Sundelof, V. Giedraitis, M. C. Irizarry, J. Sundstrom, E. Ingelsson, E. Ronnemaa, J. Arnlov, M. D. Gunnarsson, B. T. Hyman, H. Basun, et al. Plasma {beta} Amyloid and the Risk of Alzheimer Disease and Dementia in Elderly Men: A Prospective, Population-Based Cohort Study Arch Neurol, February 1, 2008; 65(2): 256 - 263. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A D Hutchinson and J L Mathias Neuropsychological deficits in frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease: a meta-analytic review J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry, September 1, 2007; 78(9): 917 - 928. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. Cullen, B. O'Neill, J. J Evans, R. F Coen, and B. A Lawlor A review of screening tests for cognitive impairment J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry, August 1, 2007; 78(8): 790 - 799. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Other articles noted Evid. Based Med., September 1, 2004; 9(5): e5 - e5. [Full Text] [PDF]

				V W Henderson Detecting dementia in just 12 minutes: the seven minute screen J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry, May 1, 2004; 75(5): 666 - 667. [Full Text]