Centre for Policy on Ageing



Use of the clock drawing task in the diagnosis of mild and very mild Alzheimer's disease
Author(s)	Heidi Lee, Gregory R J Swanwick, Robert F Coen
Journal title	International Psychogeriatrics, vol 8, no 3, Fall 1996
Pages	pp 469-475
Keywords	Dementia ; Mental ageing ; Evaluation ; Diagnosis ; Ireland.
Annotation	The utility of the clock drawing task (CDT) in differentiating between patients with mild and very mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) and normal controls was examined in this Irish study. 30 normal older people and 30 patients with probable AD were asked to draw a clock from memory. All the clocks were scored according to two previously described standardised scoring systems (the Sunderland scale; and the Clock Drawing Interpretation Scale - CDIS, Mendez et al); the accuracy of classification into normal or AD groups was determined. Both CDT scales could discriminate between moderate AD and normal ageing, but lacked sensitivity in the very mild AD cases; mild cases showed intermediate sensitivity. In conclusion, the CDT test as a test for AD is insensitive in the early-stage cases, but sensitivity improves with increasing severity of dementia. The CDT is unlikely to be useful in distinguishing between AD in its early stages and normal ageing. (RH).
Accession Number	CPA-980303273 A
Classmark	EA: D6: 4C: LK7: 763
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.