Comparative accuracy of screening instruments for Alzheimer’s disease: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive cognitive decline. Early detection and accurate screening of AD are crucial for timely interventions and improved patient outcomes. Various screening instruments have been developed to aid in the identification of individuals at risk of AD. However, the comparative accuracy of these instruments has not been thoroughly assessed.
Aim: This study aims to evaluate and compare the accuracy of different screening instruments used for the detection of AD.
Method: A PRISMA selection was used to identify studies across electronic database such as PubMed and Google scholar from up until February 4, 2023.A total of 5 studies evaluating neuropsychological assessment such as, Mini-mental state examination (MMSE), Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA), and clinical dementia rate (CDR) between patients with AD, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and healthy control (HC). Meta-analysis was performed by Rev-Man 5.4.
Result: The studies included a total number of 1,177 individuals, 398 were in the AD group,409 in MCI and 370 in HC group. The cognitive function assessed by the meta-analysis revealed AD with lesser MMSE (P < 0.00001), MoCA (P < 0.00001), when compared to MCI. But CDR score was decrease with MCI (P < 0.00001). In addition, AD showed a lesser MSSE (P < 0.00001), CDR (P < 0.00001), and MoCA (P < 0.00001), scores when compared to HC.
Conclusion: The findings indicate that individuals with AD exhibit lower scores in MMSE, MoCA, and CDR compared to those with MCI and HC.