Sensitivity and Specificity for Dementia of Population-Based Criteria for Cognitive Impairment: The MoVIES Project

Abstract

Few norms exist for the elderly on the cognitive tests commonly used to screen for dementia; conventional cutpoints used in clinical settings may be of limited value in population screening. A particular problem is posed by elderly populations with low educational levels, as performance on most cognitive tests is affected by education. Thus, a healthy but poorly educated population may obtain test scores in the range considered impaired in the clinical setting.