Diagnostic Utility of the Portuguese Version of the Mini-Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination in Early Dementia

Aims: This contribution studies the psychometric properties (reliability, concurrent validity, and sensitivity) of the Portuguese version of the Mini-Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination (M-ACE) in the context of early dementia. Methods: A sample of 60 participants was distributed in two groups: control group and dementia group. The following tests were administered: the ACE-III, from which the M-ACE was extracted, the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). The CDR was used to determine the severity of dementia: the MoCA and ACE-III were used to determine the convergent validity of the M-ACE. Results: The reliability of the M-ACE is acceptable (alpha = .784). We extracted the cut-off scores and the corresponding values of sensitivity and specificity: A cutoff score of 17 on M-ACE has a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 72.1%. The M-ACE correlated significantly with the ACE-III and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Conclusion: The Portuguese version of the M-ACE has satisfactory psychometric characteristics and is a useful screening tool in the context of early dementia. The M-ACE can be employed in primary healthcare consultations.