New Computer-based Cognitive Function Test for the Elderly

We developed a modified trail-making test using a PC and touch panel and compared it with the mini mental state examination (MMSE). The test consisted of a series of numbers from 1 to 36, randomly arranged across the display. The object of the test was for the subject to touch the numbers in order, beginning with 1 and ending with 36, in as little time as possible. The system consisted of a PC and a liquid crystal display (LCD) touch-panel screen. One hundred and thirty-four patients with dementia performed the test. Sixty of the 134 patients (15 male, 45 female; average age, 81.1plusmn7 years) were diagnosed as having Alzheimer's disease and the others had cerebrovascular dementia. Sixty-two of 134 patients (23 male, 39 female; average age, 77.6plusmn8 years; MMSE score, 21.5plusmn5.6 points) completed the test. The correlation coefficient between test performance time and MMSE score was -0.534. This test may also be a useful indicator of focal frontal lesions and can be used as an early screening test for Alzheimer's disease