Diagnostic dementia tests

Diagnostic tests for clinicians
We have developed a range of tests to help clinicians accurately assess cognitive function and diagnose frontotemporal dementia in patient.

Diagnostic tests for clinicians

The ACE-III is a cognitive screening tool recommended for use by health practitioners and researchers in patients over 50 years old with suspected dementia. If you would like to use the ACE-III, please familiarise yourself with the scoring & administration instructions. We encourage health practitioners and researchers to utilise the available training programme for the ACE-III provided by Professor Jonathan Evans, Dr Leigh Whitnall and Dr Stephanie Crawford at the University of Glasgow in conjunction with NHS Education for Scotland. This training is free and available online.

Download the latest ACE - III. Available in several different languages and in English for adults with hearing impairment. For questions on the use of these diagnostic tests, please contact the Frontier Clinic at frontier@sydney.edu.au

ACE- III test translations

iPad version now available

The ACE-III test is now available on iPads and mobile devices

Mini-Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination (M-ACE)

Our new mini ACE assesses orientation, memory, animal fluency and clock drawing. It is scored out of 30. We recommend two cut offs: 25/30 and 21/30.

Normative data required

We are expanding and dividing our normative data into age groups and educational levels. If you can provide normative data for control participants aged over 75, please contact us.

More information

Download the FES test (pdf, 621KB).

This short bedside screening instrument tests the integrity of executive function. FES measures verbal fluency, inhibitory control and working memory. It takes five to ten minutes to administer.

Read ‘FRONTIER Executive Screen: A brief executive battery to differentiate frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer’s disease’ (441KB).

The Sydney Language Battery is a computer program that tests language at a single word level. There are 30 nouns with three or more syllables within the battery. Words are ordered with decreasing frequency and are graded into three broad levels of difficulty. Download the test (pdf, 18.3MB).

For further reading, see ‘Distinguishing subtypes in Primary Progressive Aphasisa: Application of the Sydney Language Battery.’ 

The FRS is an interview-style test that measures what stage of the illness patients are in and how severe the symptoms are. Download the FRS (PDF, 779KB).

 

FRS Translations:

The Cambridge Semantic Memory Test Battery is a collection of tests that use the same 64 items across six categories to assess semantic memory. Download now (pdf, 5.8MB).

For further reading see The Cambridge Semantic Memory Test Battery: detection of semantic deficits in semantic dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

This questionnaire examines patient behaviour. Download (pdf, 1.2MB).

For background literature, see:

The Cambridge Behavioral Inventory: Validation and Application in a Memory Clinic

The utility of the Cambridge Behavioural Inventory in neurodegenerative disease

 

CBI Translations:

This test measures semantic knowledge about verbs by using pictures and words. If you would like a copy of this test, please fill out the registration form and email it to: frontier@sydney.edu.au.

Click here to download the registration form. (docx, 745 KB)

This cognitive test allows you to quickly distinguish semantic dementia from progressive non-fluent aphasia patients. Download (pdf, 1.9MB).

If you require a test in a language other than those available here to download, please email frontier@sydney.edu.au.

 

ACE converter

ACE-R




ACE-III

Overall
Attention
Language
Visuospatial

Please note that the Memory and Fluency subtests have not been included as the items in these subtests are identical in both ACE tests.

For more information, see:
So, M., Foxe, D., et al. (2018). The Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination III: Psychometric characteristics and relations to functional ability in dementia. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society.