12-item version of Boston Naming Test: usefulness in the diagnosis of primary progressive aphasia, frontotemporal dementia, and Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

ABSTRACT. The 12-item version of the Boston Naming Test (BNT) was adapted to Argentina for the detection of dementia due to Alzheimer's disease (AD), with scores similar to the original 60-item version (sensitivity and specificity of 85 and 94%, respectively) without demographic influence (age and educational level). To date, no publications on the use of abbreviated BNT in other degenerative pathologies with language impairment have been reported. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of 12-item BNT in primary progressive aphasia (PPA), the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (FTDbv), and AD. Methods: Notably, 47 patients with probable AD (NIA-AA 2011) — clinical dementia rating (CDR) 0.5–1, 55 with FTDbv, 17 with PPA, and 46 controls were evaluated and matched for age and education. Exclusion criteria were as follows: alcoholism, other previous neurological or psychiatric illnesses, and education <4 years. All were assessed with a full neuropsychological battery and a 12-item version of BNT. Results: Median scores of 12-item BNT were as follows: PPA: 3.87 (SD=2.99), AD: 6.13 (SD=3.03); FTDbv: 8.41 (SD=2.53); and controls: 10.22 (SD=1.82). Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted. Conclusions: The 12-item version of BNT can be useful, simple, and fast to identify and differentiate PPA, FTDbv, and AD from controls while retaining the discriminative ability of the original version.

The MINT Sprint 2.0: A picture naming test for detection of naming impairments in Alzheimer's disease and in preclinical AD

“…The original BNT had 85 items, 43 but was shortened to 60 items 44 . More recently a 30‐item version or a 32‐item version of the MINT 17,20 —or even shorter 15‐ or 12‐item versions of the BNT—have been used 19,45–47 . The procedure of stopping administration after six failed items (e.g., on the BNT) further limits power.…”

“…44 More recently a 30-item version or a 32-item version of the MINT 17,20 -or even shorter 15-or 12-item versions of the BNT-have been used. 19,[45][46][47] The procedure of stopping administration after six failed items (e.g., on the BNT) further limits power. Our results suggest that brief naming tests are underpowered to detect subtle changes in naming in the earliest stages of cognitive decline due to AD.…”

Regression-Based Normative Data for Independent and Cognitively Active Spanish Older Adults: Verbal Fluency Tests and Boston Naming Test

“…Regarding the BNT, the 60-item version might be difficult to apply in terms of administration time in clinical assessment and it might be difficult to complete for severely impaired persons. Although multiple 12-, 15-, and 30-item short versions of the BNT [ 54 , 56 , 57 , 83 , 84 , 85 , 86 ] have been validated, show a high correlation with the original version, and might be useful in daily clinical practice, it has been reported that the full version has a stronger ability to discriminate between healthy controls and MCI and between MCI and dementia patients [ 55 ].…”

“…Shortened versions of this test have been developed to improve the administration time and the efficiency of the assessment [ 54 , 55 , 56 ]. It has been reported that short versions are also valid to distinguish PPA and AD from healthy subjects [ 57 ]. Nevertheless, although abbreviated versions of the BNT seem to have similar psychometric properties, the ability to discriminate between healthy controls and MCI and between MCI and dementia patients seems to be stronger with the full version than with abbreviated forms [ 55 ].…”