The Clinical Utility of the TYM and RBANS in a One-Stop Memory Clinic in Singapore: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Background: We aimed to examine the discriminant validity of a brief self-administered cognitive screening test, the Test Your Memory (TYM) and a brief neuropsychological test, the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS), supplemented with executive and language tests (Color Trail Test [CTT] and modified Boston Naming Test [mBNT], respectively), in detecting cognitive impairment (CI) in a one-stop memory clinic in Singapore. Methods: Ninety patients ≥50 years old with a diagnosis of no cognitive impairment, mild cognitive impairment, and mild Alzheimer disease were recruited from memory clinic. They received the TYM, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), RBANS, CTT, mBNT, and a gold-standard formal neuropsychological test battery. Results: The TYM had a significantly larger area under the curve (AUC) than MMSE (0.96 vs 0.88, P =.03) and was equivalent to MoCA in detecting CI (0.96 vs 0.95, P =.80). At the optimal cutoff points, the TYM (<38) was significantly more sensitive than the MMSE (<24) and MoCA (<20; P