• D A Pérez-Martinez, J J Baztán, M González-Becerra, and A Socorro.
• Unidad de Neurología, Hospital Central de la Cruz Roja, Avda. Reina Victoria 22-26, E-28003 Madrid, Spain. daperezm@yahoo.com
• Rev Neurol. 2005 Jun 1; 40 (11): 644-8.

IntroductionScreening tests for dementia are a fundamental tool in specialist consultation and primary care. The instruments currently used are time-consuming and the diagnostic performance they offer is rather poor. The original version of the Buschke Memory Impairment Screen (MIS) is a quick simple test with high discriminatory power.AimsOur aim was to validate a Spanish version of the MIS in specialist consultation.Patients And MethodsWe conducted a prospective study in 91 subjects aged over 60 who visited the outpatient department for cognitive evaluation. All the patients received a similar diagnostic evaluation and the MIS was administered as a blind test. This Spanish version of the MIS was produced by means of a cross-cultural adaptation.ResultsThe area below the ROC curve for dementia on the MIS was 0.92, with a similar result for cognitive deterioration (CD). A cut-off score of 4 or less offered a sensitivity rate of 91.9% (CI 95%: 83.4-96.4%) and a specificity level of 81.0% (CI 95%; 70.3-88.6%) for the detection of CD. Likewise, a cut-off score of 3 or below presented a sensitivity rate of 96.1% (CI 95%: 85.7-99.3%) and a degree of specificity of 72.6% (CI 95%: 63.2-80.3%) for the detection of dementia. Interobserver and test-retest reliability (0.85 and 0.81, respectively) were adequate.ConclusionsThis version of the Buschke MIS offers a high level of discriminatory power both for dementia and for CD, as well as an adequate degree of inter and intraobserver reliability within the context of a specialist consultation. Because it is quick (less than 4 minutes) and simple to administer, MIS represents a reasonable alternative to other screening methods.

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