Increasing sensitivity of clinical proverb tests for diagnosis of dementia

Abstract

Increasing sensitivity of clinical proverb tests for diagnosis of dementiaCases of dementia worldwide are estimated to double, if not triple, by 2050. 1 Since there is no cure for dementia, prevention, early diagnosis and interventions that slow down cognitive decline are critical. However, early diagnosis of dementia remains a challenge. Chakrabarty et al. 2 propose that certain cognitive tests, such as those targeting pragmatic skills, may facilitate early detection of cognitive decline in dementia. The authors argue that disruption to pragmatic processing may precede a deficit in episodic memory, which is considered a hallmark of unfolding Alzheimer's disease (AD), 3 and that the hippocampus, which is a locus of early neurodegenerative changes in AD, 4 also supports pragmatic processing.The idea that comprehension of figurative language may provide a window into cognitive decline is not new. Since the early 20th century, psychologists, psychiatrists, and neuropsychologists have used proverbs for evaluative and diagnostic purposes. 5 Proverbs are fixed