Validation of the Spanish version of Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination III for diagnosing dementia

Abstract

Introduction: Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination is a screening test used to diagnose dementia. The third edition of this test (ACE-III) was recently developed. The aim of this study was to translate and validate the ACE-III in Spanish.

Methods: The ACE-III was translated and adapted to Spanish. It was then administered to a group of healthy subjects as well as a group of patients with different types of mild dementia treated in 2 hospitals in Spain.

Results: Internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.927), inter-rater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.976) and test-retest reliability (kappa 0.995) were excellent. Age (r = -0.512) and education (r = 0.659) showed a significant correlation with total test scores. The diagnostic accuracy of ACE-III was higher than that of the Mini-Mental State Examination, particularly for the group with the highest educational level. Researchers obtained normative data and cut-off points for the diagnosis of dementia.

Conclusions: The Spanish version of the ACE-III is a reliable and valid test for diagnosing dementia. Its diagnostic accuracy is high, especially in patients with a higher level of education.

Keywords: Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination; Alzheimer disease; Cognitive screening; Cribado cognitivo; Demencia; Demencia frontotemporal; Dementia; Enfermedad de Alzheimer; Evaluación neuropsicológica; Frontotemporal dementia; Neuropsychological assessment.