Cognitive Assessment & Screening Flashcards
7 cards from real AAC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Cognitive Assessment & Screening flashcards as text
Which of the following best explains why depression can complicate cognitive screening results?
Answer: Depression can cause pseudodementia, producing cognitive test scores that mimic dementia
Depression can cause pseudodementia — a reversible cognitive impairment — making it essential to assess mood before interpreting low cognitive screening scores.
The Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale–Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog) is most commonly used in:
Answer: Clinical trials to measure treatment response
The ADAS-Cog is the standard outcome measure in Alzheimer's clinical trials because it is sensitive to change over time across multiple cognitive domains.
A caregiver reports that their mother was doing well on last year's MMSE but scored 4 points lower this year. What does this change most suggest?
Answer: Clinically significant cognitive decline
A 4-point decline on the MMSE over one year exceeds normal aging variation and typically signals meaningful clinical deterioration.
Which cognitive domain is typically FIRST affected in typical Alzheimer's disease?
Answer: Episodic memory
Episodic memory — particularly the ability to encode and recall new information — is classically the first domain impaired in typical Alzheimer's disease.
When using the MMSE, which item directly tests ORIENTATION to place?
Answer: What state/county/town are we in?
The MMSE includes five place orientation questions asking about country, state, city, building, and floor.
A validated informant-based questionnaire used to assess functional and cognitive decline from a caregiver's perspective is the:
Answer: Functional Activities Questionnaire (FAQ)
The FAQ asks informants to rate the patient's ability to perform instrumental activities of daily living, providing real-world functional context alongside cognitive scores.
Which of the following populations requires the most adjustment or caution when interpreting standard cognitive screening scores?
Answer: Individuals with limited English proficiency or low literacy
Standard cognitive tools are often normed on English-speaking, educated populations, making scores less valid for individuals with limited English proficiency or low literacy.