Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
No single test can diagnose dementia. You'll likely need a number of tests that can help pinpoint the problem. Cognitive and neuropsychological tests. These tests evaluate your thinking ability. A number of tests measure thinking skills, such as memory, orientation, reasoning and judgment, language skills, and attention. Neurological evaluation
To diagnose Alzheimer's dementia, healthcare professionals conduct tests to measure memory impairment and other thinking skills. They also judge functional abilities and identify behavior changes. A series of tests can rule out other possible causes of symptoms.
The tests may help your healthcare team better identify the disease causing dementia symptoms. In the past, Alzheimer's disease was diagnosed for certain only after death when plaques and tangles were found while looking at the brain with a microscope.
MRIs are generally the preferred imaging test because MRIs can provide even more detail than computed tomography (CT) scans about strokes, ministrokes and blood vessel abnormalities and is the test of choice for evaluating vascular dementia.
These imaging tests may support a diagnosis of Lewy body dementia: Fluorodeoxyglucose PET brain scans, which assess brain function. Single-photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) or PET imaging.
Healthcare professionals may test your reasoning and memory skills. This type of testing is especially helpful to learn which type of dementia you may have at an early stage. It also can help distinguish FTD from other causes of dementia. Brain scans. Images of the brain can reveal visible conditions that may be causing symptoms.
Having a family history of dementia puts you at greater risk of developing the condition. However, many people with a family history never develop symptoms, and many people without a family history do. There are tests to determine whether you have certain genetic changes that may increase your risk. Down syndrome.
A brain MRI can help diagnose primary progressive aphasia. The test can detect shrinking of specific areas of the brain. MRI scans also can detect strokes, tumors or other conditions that affect brain function. You also might get a positron emission tomography (PET) scan, which shows brain function.
Your test results are available quickly and appointments are coordinated. The most highly specialized experts in the world work together to determine what's best for you. What might take months to accomplish elsewhere can typically be done in a matter of days at Mayo Clinic.
Mental status testing shows mild changes for age and education level. These include brief tests such as the Short Test of Mental Status, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) or the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). More detailed testing may show to what degree memory has changed.