Affiliations: [a] Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA | [b] Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA | [c] Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
Correspondence:
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Correspondence to: Mark W. Bondi, PhD, Psychology Service (116B), VA San Diego Healthcare System, 3350 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego, CA 92161, USA. Tel.: +1 858 552 8585/Ext. 2809; E-mail: mbondi@ucsd.edu.
Note: [1] Data used in preparation of this article were obtained from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database (http://adni.loni.usc.edu). As such, the investigators within the ADNI contributed to the design and implementation of the ADNI and/or provided data but did not participate in analysis or writing of this article. A complete listing of ADNI investigators can be found at http://adni.loni.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/how_to_apply/ADNI_Acknowledgement_List.pdf.
Abstract: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is typically diagnosed using subjective complaints, screening measures, clinical judgment, and a single memory score. Our prior work has shown that this method is highly susceptible to false-positive diagnostic errors. We examined whether the criteria also lead to “false-negative” errors by diagnostically reclassifying 520 participants using novel actuarial neuropsychological criteria. Results revealed a false-negative error rate of 7.1%. Participants’ neuropsychological performance, cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers, and rate of decline provided evidence that an MCI diagnosis is warranted. The impact of “missed” cases of MCI has direct relevance to clinical practice, research studies, and clinical trials of prodromal Alzheimer’s disease.
