{"id":241794,"date":"2024-07-10T18:16:42","date_gmt":"2024-07-10T18:16:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/10\/what-cognitive-tests-can-show-and-what-they-cant\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T17:14:58","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T17:14:58","slug":"what-cognitive-tests-can-show-and-what-they-cant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/10\/what-cognitive-tests-can-show-and-what-they-cant\/","title":{"rendered":"What cognitive tests can show\u2014and what they can’t"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Political opponents, armchair pundits and even nervous supporters are demanding that President Joe Biden\u00a0undergo such testing<\/a>\u00a0after his dismal debate performance\u2014even though his physician says he gets, and passes, an annual neurologic exam.<\/p>\n

Former President Donald Trump, who\u2019s only a few years younger,\u00a0makes his own gaffes<\/a>. He recently bragged about passing a 2018 cognitive test\u2014while calling the doctor who administered it\u00a0by the wrong name<\/a>.<\/p>\n

With all the concern, what can cognitive testing actually tell about a person\u2019s brain health<\/a>\u2014and what can\u2019t they answer? And presidents aside<\/a>, does the average older adult need one?<\/p>\n

What are cognitive tests?<\/h2>\n

They\u2019re brief screening tools, a 10-minute series of questions to assess different brain functions. Two of the most common are called the MMSE, Mini-Mental State Exam, and the MoCA, Montreal Cognitive Assessment.<\/p>\n

Recalling a list of five unrelated nouns or seeing how many words beginning with F you can say in a minute can assess short-term memory and language. Counting backward by 7s tests attention and concentration. Drawing a clock with the correct time is a clue to spatial awareness.<\/p>\n

How reliable are cognitive screenings?<\/h2>\n

They don\u2019t diagnose health problems. A bad score is just a red flag that indicates a need for further testing to see if there is a health problem and uncover what kind, said Dr. James Galvin, a neurologist at the University of Miami.<\/p>\n

A good score usually is good news. But the highly educated especially tend to be good test-takers even if cognitive trouble is starting to brew. So if someone scores OK yet they, a family member or the doctor sees some day-to-day concern, more testing still could be warranted.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe simply use it as a benchmark to determine our suspicion level,\u201d Galvin said.<\/p>\n

When and how often should cognitive screenings be done?<\/h2>\n

\u201cA screening test is exactly a snapshot in time. So it tells you in that moment how someone does on that test,\u201d Galvin stressed. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t tell you how a person is functioning in their everyday life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simply reporting a concern is reason enough for a primary care doctor to perform one. But it\u2019s also supposed to be part of the annual Medicare<\/a> wellness visit for those 65 and older.<\/p>\n

Galvin wouldn\u2019t discuss Biden or Trump because he hasn\u2019t examined them\u2014but said that generally it\u2019s a good idea for seniors to get checked yearly to spot changes. It\u2019s much like how doctors don\u2019t assume your blood pressure\u2019s still fine, they measure it.<\/p>\n

How is a cognitive test different from a neurologic exam?<\/h2>\n

Cognitive screenings are \u201cpencil and paper tests\u201d usually handled by primary care doctors, while neurologic exams generally are performed by a specialist, Galvin said.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a very detailed physical exam. Doctors watch the patient\u2019s speech patterns and behavior, test how key nerves are functioning, check reflexes that can signal brain diseases and assess muscle tone and function.<\/p>\n

If either kind of test signals real cognitive concerns, the next step may be more intensive neuropsychological testing\u2014an exam that often lasts up to three hours.<\/p>\n

After an exhaustive interview of the patient and any accompanying family members, the neuropsychologist goes through tests and tasks designed to check specific brain functions\u2014intelligence, memory, verbal ability, problem-solving and reasoning skills, visual and auditory responses, emotion and mood. They may use puzzles, objects to rearrange, or drawing and writing tests.<\/p>\n

Blood tests and brain scans also may be ordered. Special types of PET scans can detect Alzheimer\u2019s hallmark amyloid plaques and tau tangles in the brain. An MRI can detect past strokes, helpful in diagnosing vascular dementia.<\/p>\n

How can you tell if cognitive concerns are a disease or just getting older?<\/h2>\n

\u201cAge makes us do things a lot slower,\u201d Galvin said. \u201cWe move slower. We think slower. But we\u2019re still moving correctly and we\u2019re still thinking correctly\u2014it just takes us longer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Examples of slower cognitive \u201cprocessing\u201d might be difficulty remembering a name, numbers or specific details under pressure\u2014but they come back to you later.<\/p>\n

Galvin noted that sometimes, reversible health problems mimic cognitive trouble. For example, urinary tract infections are notorious for causing sudden confusion in older people. Certain medications affect memory, as can thyroid problems, depression, even poorly controlled diabetes.<\/p>\n

Anyone who\u2019s worried about their memory should talk to their doctor, or seek a specialist, \u201cwho can reassure you that everything\u2019s OK or develop a treatment plan that\u2019s specific for you,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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[ad_1] Political opponents, armchair pundits and even nervous supporters are demanding that President Joe Biden\u00a0undergo such testing\u00a0after his dismal debate performance\u2014even though his physician says<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":241795,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[149],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241794"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=241794"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241794\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/241795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=241794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=241794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=241794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}