“Try to Build This Bunny as Fast as Possible without Using Red or Pink Bricks”: How Simple Assembly Tasks Might Aid in Detecting People with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia
(1) Background: Dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are still underdiagnosed in the general population. Impaired odor identification has been identified as an early marker of MCI and dementia. We aim to investigate whether short tasks, in which simple forms must be assembled from single bui...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Brain Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/13/12/1693 |
| _version_ | 1797381782677487616 |
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| author | Wolfgang Trapp Andreas Heid Susanne Röder Franziska Wimmer Helmar Weiß Göran Hajak |
| author_facet | Wolfgang Trapp Andreas Heid Susanne Röder Franziska Wimmer Helmar Weiß Göran Hajak |
| author_sort | Wolfgang Trapp |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | (1) Background: Dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are still underdiagnosed in the general population. Impaired odor identification has been identified as an early marker of MCI and dementia. We aim to investigate whether short tasks, in which simple forms must be assembled from single building blocks based on a template or while considering specific re-strictions, could increase the diagnostic quality of established cognitive screening tests in detecting MCI or dementia. (2) Methods: A brief assembly test, where participants had to assemble simple animal shapes from Lego<sup>®</sup> Duplo<sup>®</sup> building blocks, the Frontal Assessment Battery, and the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) were administered to a consecutive series of 197 patients (89 with mild dementia, 62 with mild cognitive impairment, and 46 without cognitive impairment) referred for neuropsychological testing. (3) Results: Both participants with dementia and with MCI performed badly in the assembly tasks. The assembly tasks and the Frontal Assessment Battery were substantially correlated. Complementing MMSE scores with the assembly tasks improved the diagnostic accuracy of individuals with dementia and MCI. (4) Conclusions: People with suspected dementia or MCI may already benefit from simple assembly tasks. Although these tests require little additional time, they can notably increase sensitivity for dementia or MCI. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T20:56:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-125e494f6dad43eea4a1e9e78798037d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3425 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T20:56:21Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Brain Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-125e494f6dad43eea4a1e9e78798037d2023-12-22T13:57:20ZengMDPI AGBrain Sciences2076-34252023-12-011312169310.3390/brainsci13121693“Try to Build This Bunny as Fast as Possible without Using Red or Pink Bricks”: How Simple Assembly Tasks Might Aid in Detecting People with Mild Cognitive Impairment and DementiaWolfgang Trapp0Andreas Heid1Susanne Röder2Franziska Wimmer3Helmar Weiß4Göran Hajak5Department of Psychiatry, Sozialstiftung Bamberg, St.-Getreu-Straße 18, 96049 Bamberg, GermanyDepartment of Psychiatry, Sozialstiftung Bamberg, St.-Getreu-Straße 18, 96049 Bamberg, GermanyDepartment of Psychiatry, Sozialstiftung Bamberg, St.-Getreu-Straße 18, 96049 Bamberg, GermanyDepartment of Psychiatry, Sozialstiftung Bamberg, St.-Getreu-Straße 18, 96049 Bamberg, GermanyDepartment of Psychiatry, Sozialstiftung Bamberg, St.-Getreu-Straße 18, 96049 Bamberg, GermanyDepartment of Psychiatry, Sozialstiftung Bamberg, St.-Getreu-Straße 18, 96049 Bamberg, Germany(1) Background: Dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are still underdiagnosed in the general population. Impaired odor identification has been identified as an early marker of MCI and dementia. We aim to investigate whether short tasks, in which simple forms must be assembled from single building blocks based on a template or while considering specific re-strictions, could increase the diagnostic quality of established cognitive screening tests in detecting MCI or dementia. (2) Methods: A brief assembly test, where participants had to assemble simple animal shapes from Lego<sup>®</sup> Duplo<sup>®</sup> building blocks, the Frontal Assessment Battery, and the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) were administered to a consecutive series of 197 patients (89 with mild dementia, 62 with mild cognitive impairment, and 46 without cognitive impairment) referred for neuropsychological testing. (3) Results: Both participants with dementia and with MCI performed badly in the assembly tasks. The assembly tasks and the Frontal Assessment Battery were substantially correlated. Complementing MMSE scores with the assembly tasks improved the diagnostic accuracy of individuals with dementia and MCI. (4) Conclusions: People with suspected dementia or MCI may already benefit from simple assembly tasks. Although these tests require little additional time, they can notably increase sensitivity for dementia or MCI.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/13/12/1693dementiamild cognitive impairmentMini-Mental State ExaminationFrontal Assessment Batteryexecutive functionapraxia |
| spellingShingle | Wolfgang Trapp Andreas Heid Susanne Röder Franziska Wimmer Helmar Weiß Göran Hajak “Try to Build This Bunny as Fast as Possible without Using Red or Pink Bricks”: How Simple Assembly Tasks Might Aid in Detecting People with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia Brain Sciences dementia mild cognitive impairment Mini-Mental State Examination Frontal Assessment Battery executive function apraxia |
| title | “Try to Build This Bunny as Fast as Possible without Using Red or Pink Bricks”: How Simple Assembly Tasks Might Aid in Detecting People with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia |
| title_full | “Try to Build This Bunny as Fast as Possible without Using Red or Pink Bricks”: How Simple Assembly Tasks Might Aid in Detecting People with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia |
| title_fullStr | “Try to Build This Bunny as Fast as Possible without Using Red or Pink Bricks”: How Simple Assembly Tasks Might Aid in Detecting People with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia |
| title_full_unstemmed | “Try to Build This Bunny as Fast as Possible without Using Red or Pink Bricks”: How Simple Assembly Tasks Might Aid in Detecting People with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia |
| title_short | “Try to Build This Bunny as Fast as Possible without Using Red or Pink Bricks”: How Simple Assembly Tasks Might Aid in Detecting People with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia |
| title_sort | try to build this bunny as fast as possible without using red or pink bricks how simple assembly tasks might aid in detecting people with mild cognitive impairment and dementia |
| topic | dementia mild cognitive impairment Mini-Mental State Examination Frontal Assessment Battery executive function apraxia |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/13/12/1693 |
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