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news and publications

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1. The 2012 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Vancouver, BC, Canada will include a study by James Scanlan, PhD

   Using the CANS-MCI Dr. Scanlan shows that “Self-reported memory fails to substitute for objective memory measures”. This study provides evidence that clinicians using subjective patient memory concerns as substitutes for objective testing will frequently be misguided. Additionally, applying a questionnaire designed for caregivers directly to patients is contra-indicated. Additional evidence was also provided that the CANS-MCI has good agreement with both the Mattis and the Weschler Memory Scales.

2. In 2011, the Journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia published a comparison of all computerized tests for cognitive decline, emphasizing sensitivity and specificity, which described the CANS-MCI the most favorably with respect to primary care applicability.

   Snyder, PJ, Jackson, CE, Petersen, RC, Khachaturian, AS, Kaye, Albert, MS, and Weintraub, S Assessment of cognition in mild cognitive impairment: A comparative study. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 7, 338-355, 2011.

   “The Computer-Administered Neuropsychological Screen for Mild Cognitive Impairment (CANS-MCI; Screen, Inc. Seattle, WA) was developed specifically to meet the needs of primary care physicians, and it includes an assessment of cognition, mood, health history and risk factors, substance use and driving capabilities. The assessment of cognition includes measures of free and guided recall, delayed free and guided recognition, primed picture naming, word-to-picture matching, design matching, clock hand placement and the Stroop Test. For individuals with a high school education or less, the CANS-MCI showed sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 100%, indicating that it correctly identified all participants as either meeting criteria for MCI or as a healthy control. For individuals with 13 or more years of education, the CANS-MCI showed sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 84.8%, with an AUC of 0.96.”

3. The New York Times: With Alzheimer’s Patients Growing in Number, Congress Endorses a National Plan

   The NY Times reports that Congress has unanimously voted to create a National Plan to combat Alzheimer’s Disease with the same intensity as the attacks on AIDS and cancer. Early Detection and treatment will be the focus of this effort.

4. The New York Times: Insights Give Hope for New Attack on Alzheimer’s

   Recently an excellent article by Gina Kolata summarizes the most recent insights that will lead to prevention or treatment for Alzheimer’s. The CANS-MCI is ideally suited for the earliest economical detection of those changes in cognition most relevant to the timing of prevention and treatment.

5. Celeste A de Jager, Samrah Ahmed-Ali, & Gordon K Wilcock. A comparison of screening tools for the assessment of Mild Cognitive Impairment.

   Alzheimer’s and Dementia, Volume 6, Issue 4, Supplement, Page S354, July 2010.

   This independent United Kingdom study of the CANS-MCI, the ACE-R, the MMSE, and the MoCA establishes the CANS-MCI as the computer-administered testing alternative with highest sensitivity and specificity for the discrimination between normal elderly and MCI.

6. Newsweek.com: The Pen is Mightier Than the MRI

   This is an independent review of fast, reliable, and affordable tests for Diabetes, Depression and Alzheimer’s. Screen, Inc’s CANS-MCI computerized test was singled out as the computerized test for MCI (Mild Cognitive Impairment) leading to Alzheimer’s that was fast, efficient, reliable and inexpensive.

7. Wild, K., Howieson, D., Webbe, F., Seelye, A., Kaye, J. Status of computerized cognitive testing in aging: a systematic review.

   Alzheimers and Dementia, 4 (6), 428-437, 2008.

   This is an independent review of 11 different computerized tests for Cognitive Decline. Each program rated in six different categories; Subtests, Normative Data, Reliability, Validity, Factor Analysis and Administration/Interface. A score of 1 to 3 was given for each category. The CANS-MCI test from Screen, Inc. had the highest total score with a 3 in all categories except one, where it received a score of 2.

8. Alzheimer's Association New Annual Wellness Visits for Medicare Beneficiaries to Include Detection of Cognitive Impairment

   The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued final regulations for implementation of an important provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which will include for the first time an annual wellness benefit for all Medicare beneficiaries beginning January 2011. The above link will take you to the original webpage. A PDF version of that page can be viewed here.

9. Emory Hill, PhD, Joel Ross, MD, Jane B. Tornatore, PhD & Mary Reid, MD. Longitudinal Validity of a Mild Cognitive Impairment Screen: The CANS-MCI Study.

   American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, Volume 16, No. 3, Supplement 1, A96-A97, March 2008. (Abstract)

10. Jane B. Tornatore, PhD Emory Hill, PhD Jo Anne Laboff, MSW, Brian Fogel. One year Follow-Up Analyses of Scoring Algorithms for a Mild Cognitive Impairment Screen: The CANS-MCI Study.

    Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Prevention of Dementia: Early Diagnosis and Intervention, Washington, D.C., June, 2005.

11. Jane B. Tornatore, Ph.D., Emory Hill, Ph.D., Jo Anne Laboff, M.S.W. and Mary E. McGann, M.P.H., M.S.W. Self-Administered Screening for Mild Cognitive Impairment: Validation of a Computerized Test Battery.

    Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, Volume 17, No. 1, 98-105, Winter, 2005.

12. Jane B. Tornatore, PhD, Emory Hill, PhD, Jo Anne Laboff, MSW. The CANS-MCI: Self-administered Screening for Mild Cognitive Impairment.

    Alzheimer's and Dementia, 1, Suppl 1, 104, 2005. (Abstract)

13. Emory Hill, PhD. Self-Administered Mild Cognitive Impairment Touch Screen Tests: The CANS-MCI Study.

    Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, 21, 5-6, 215, 2003. (Abstract)

14. Jane B. Tornatore, PhD, Emory Hill, PhD. Validity of Self-Administered Mild Cognitive Impairment Touch Screen Tests.

    Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging, 7 (5), 315. 2003. (Abstract)

15. Emory Hill, PhD, Ken Hammond MD. The Usability of Multimedia Automated Psychological Tests to Screen for Alzheimer's Disease.

    Proceedings of the American Medical Informatics Association Symposium 2000, 1030. (Abstract)

press releases

1. Saxton, J., Morrow, L., Exchman, A., Archer, G., Luther, J., Zuccolotto, A. Computer Assessment of Mild Cognitive Impairment. Postgraduate Medicine, 121 (2), 177–185, 2009.

   All computer cognition tests for use with a standard personal computer (except the CANS-MCI) have responses made either via the keyboard or mouse. "Most tests, whether paper-and-pencil or computer-based, have to be administered and scored by a clinician and few primary care providers have the time to administer even a brief cognitive screening test." The CANS-MCI is administered by the computer, without any significant staff assistance or training, and scored by Screen, Inc for the clinician.