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Diagnosis and staging of mild cognitive impairment, using a modification of the clinical dementia rating scale: the mCDR
Author(s) -
Duara Ranjan,
Loewenstein David A.,
GreigCusto Maria T.,
Raj Ashok,
Barker Warren,
Potter Elizabeth,
Schofield Elizabeth,
Small Brent,
Schinka John,
Wu Yougui,
Potter Huntington
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
international journal of geriatric psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.28
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1166
pISSN - 0885-6230
DOI - 10.1002/gps.2334
Subject(s) - clinical dementia rating , dementia , psychology , rating scale , cognition , neuropsychology , memory impairment , clinical psychology , inter rater reliability , psychometrics , reliability (semiconductor) , audiology , cognitive impairment , psychiatry , medicine , developmental psychology , disease , power (physics) , physics , quantum mechanics
Objective To examine the reliability and validity of the mCDR, a modified version of the clinical dementia rating (CDR) scale. Methods The mCDR is an informant‐based, technician‐administered, structured interview with multiple choice responses, which does not include objective cognitive testing. Subjects ( n = 556) with no cognitive impairment (NCI), amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), and dementia were assessed with mCDR, CDR, and neuropsychological evaluation, while medial temporal atrophy (MTA) was measured on MRI scans. The mCDR and CDR were compared with respect to inter‐rater reliability, validity, and ability to predict progression in cognitive diagnosis at 12 month follow‐up. Results The mCDR can be administered in less than one third of the time required to administer the CDR (30 min). Inter‐rater reliability (Cohen's weighted κ) was 0.86 for the mCDR and 0.56 for the CDR. Ability to distinguish between NCI, aMCI, and Dementia subjects, and correlations to memory and non‐memory measures were marginally better for the CDR, in comparison to the mCDR. Correlations of mCDR and CDR scores to MTA scores did not differ. Baseline mCDR scores predicted transition from NCI to aMCI, whereas baseline CDR scores predicted transition from aMCI to Dementia. Conclusions The mCDR, as compared to the CDR, is briefer and more reliable, and is a valid measure of functional ability among subjects with normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment, and mild dementia. The mCDR should be particularly useful as a reliable and economical instrument for assessing change in functional abilities, especially in multi‐center clinical trials and population studies of MCI and mild dementia. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.