DemTect: Test tasks
The DemTect (Dementia Detection) helps to determine mental impairments of a patient. It can also be used to describe the course of mental deterioration. Like other tests (MMST, clock test, etc.), it is used in dementia diagnostics.
The DemTect consists of five parts, which are used to test different cognitive abilities.
DemTect subtest: Word list
In the first subtest, the learning growth of episodic memory is tested: A word list with ten terms (plate, dog, lamp, etc.) is read to the patient. The patient is asked to repeat all the words he was able to remember – their order does not matter. The whole thing is repeated once (with the same word list).
The number of correctly repeated words in both rounds is added up (maximum 20 points).
DemTect subtest: Number Conversion
He is then asked to convert two number words (such as “six hundred and eighty-one”) into the corresponding numbers.
A maximum of four points can be scored on this subtest.
DemTect subtest: Supermarket task
In the third subtest, the patient is asked to name as many things as possible that can be bought in a supermarket. This subtest tests semantic word fluency. The examiner counts the terms mentioned and records them as a score (maximum 30).
DemTect subtest: Number sequence backwards
In the fourth task, two-, three-, four-, five- and six-digit number sequences are read aloud one after the other, and the patient is asked to repeat them backwards. The longest sequence of numbers correctly repeated backwards is counted (maximum six points). This task is used to test working memory.
DemTect subtest: Repeating the word list
DemTect: Evaluation
At the end, all partial results from the five subtests receive a corresponding point value according to a conversion table. These five point values are added to the total result (maximum: 18). It gives an indication of the patient’s cognitive performance:
- 13 – 18 points: age-appropriate cognitive performance
- 9 – 12 points: mild cognitive impairment
- 0 – 8 points: Suspicion of dementia
If dementia is suspected, further tests are performed.
Caution: The DemTect is not suitable for clarifying suspected dementia in patients under 40 years of age.
DemTect: Combination with MMST
The DemTect can also be combined with the MMST (Mini Mental Status Test), another important test in dementia diagnostics. This combination is very useful, as the DemTect can detect mild cognitive impairment better than the MMST.