Korean Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination Revised (K‐ACER) for differential diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and subcortical ischemic vascular dementia

Aim: Sensitive, specific neuropsychological screening tests, such as the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination Revised (ACE‐R), are essential for dementia diagnosis. We aimed to validate the use of the Korean version of ACE‐R (K‐ACER) to differentiate Alzheimer's disease (AD) from subcortical ischemic vascular dementia (SIVD). Methods: Standard tests for dementia screening were applied to 156 subjects (84 controls, 30 AD, 42 SIVD), and total and sub‐domain scores on the K‐ACER, as well as the sub‐domain ratio (VLOM), were compared. Results: The reliability of the K‐ACER was very good (α‐coefficient 0.84), and cut‐off score for dementia was determined (cut‐off value 78, sensitivity 0.93, specificity 0.95). The likelihood ratio for dementia was calculated as between 78 and 82. At a cut‐off of 78, the likelihood of dementia was 18.6:1. Although a comparison of K‐ACER scores between AD and SIVD patients revealed significant differences in verbal fluency, language domain and VLOM ratio, sensitivity and specificity for differential diagnosis between AD and SVID proved less accurate. Conclusion: The K‐ACER is a rapid, sensitive and specific dementia screening test. Though sub‐domains of items may be useful for differentiating between AD and SIVD, sensitivity and specificity is less accurate than dementia screening itself. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2010; 10: 295–301.