Evaluation of the National Task Group-Early Detection Screen for Dementia: Sensitivity to 'mild cognitive impairment' in adults with Down syndrome

Background: The accuracy of the National Task Group-Early Detection Screen for Dementia (NTG-EDSD) was evaluated in a sample of 185 adults with Down syndrome (DS), emphasizing 'mild cognitive impairment (MCI-DS)'.

Method: Knowledgeable informants were interviewed with the NTG-EDSD, and findings were compared to an independent dementia status rating based on consensus review of detailed assessments of cognition, functional abilities and health status (including physician examination).

Results: Results indicated that sections of the NTG-EDSD were sensitive to MCI-DS, with one or more concerns within the 'Memory' or 'Language and Communication' domains being most informative.

Conclusions: The NTG-EDSD is a useful tool for evaluating dementia status, including MCI-DS. However, estimates of sensitivity and specificity, even for detecting frank dementia, indicated that NTG-EDSD findings need to be supplemented by additional sources of relevant information to achieve an acceptable level of diagnostic/screening accuracy.