Usefulness of Mini-Cog© Japanese version for patients complaining of forgetfulness: significance as a screening test for dementia and mild cognitive impairment

Usefulness of Mini-Cog^© Japanese version for patients complaining of forgetfulness: significance as a screening test for dementia and mild cognitive impairment

Shinichiro Maeshima^1）, Aiko Osawa^1）2）, Shintaro Nakarai^1）2）, Chisato Kamizato^1）2）, Naoki Itoh^1）2）, Hidenori Arai^3）

^1）Education and Innovation Center, Geriatrics and Gerontology, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology
^2）Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Geriatrics and Gerontology, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology
^3）National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology

The Mini-Cog^© was developed for the early identification of dementia, but it is not widely used in Japan.　In this study, we evaluated its usefulness by administering the Mini-Cog^© to 170 older individuals who visited a Memory clinic.　At the initial assessment, 36 participants scored within the normal range, whereas 134 participants had abnormal values.　The sensitivity of the Mini-Cog^© for detecting dementia was 0.95, with a specificity of 0.44.　For detecting cognitive decline, the sensitivity was 0.86, with a specificity of 0.82.　The agreement rate between the Mini-Cog^© scores at the initial and follow-up assessments was 44.4%.　The Mini-Cog^© proves to be beneficial for the early detection of cognitive decline, as it is a simple and rapid test.　Given its potential as a useful tool in primary care and routine health checkups, we advocate for its active utilization.

Address correspondence to Dr. Shinichiro Maeshima, Education and Innovation Center, Geriatrics and Gerontology, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology （7-430 Morioka-cho, Obu, Aichi 474-8511, Japan）