INTRODUCTION:

To be useful, Brief Cognitive Tests (BCTs) must be fast, sensitive, easy to perform, and not require extensive training to do so. Commonly used brief cognitive tests include the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).

OBJECTIVE:

To provide a description of the available BCTs and their psychometric properties for the detection of dementia.

METHODS:

Narrative review

RESULTS:

The MMSE places great weight on orientation, memory, visuospatiality, and language, and, consequently, may be sensitive to the cognitive deficits found in Alzheimer's dementia. MoCA is a more complex brief test that assesses a broader range of cognitive domains, especially executive functions, providing greater sensitivity for detecting mild cognitive impairment and other types of dementia, not just Alzheimer's dementia.

CONCLUSIONS:

BCTs are part of the arsenal needed to help confirm suspected dementia. Schooling has an important impact on the performance of BCTs and can bias the interpretation of the results obtained.

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