Analyses of large datasets to support the screening of memory disorders (SAAMS)

The main objective of the SAAMS study is to investigate cognitive performance in older people by making use of patient record data and previously collected research datasets. Based on these data, the study will produce the clinical cut-off values needed to support the early identification of memory disorders in older people, while also taking into account the effects of age and educational level on cognitive performance. In addition, the study examines the severity of memory disorders at the time of diagnosis and assesses how well the information on patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), as identified from register data, corresponds to information evaluated on the basis of medical records. This will improve understanding of the limitations and possibilities of register data related to memory disorders.

In the first phase of the study, new education-adjusted cut-off values were produced for the CERAD test to support the early identification of AD in people aged 60–80. The new cut-off values identified people with early-stage AD better than the previous cut-off values. The total score calculated from the different test sections of the CERAD identified people with memory disorders better than any individual subtest. The study also found that a large proportion (21%) of those who had just received an AD diagnosis were diagnosed only when the disease was already at a moderate or severe stage. In the second phase of the study, the age group will be expanded to include people over 80, and, in addition to CERAD, the performance of the MOCA test battery will also be examined.

Goals

The aim of the study is to investigate the cognitive performance of older people with and without memory disorders and to produce updated cut-off values for the CERAD and MOCA test batteries used in the early identification of memory disorders.

Implementation

For the purposes of the study, information has been collected from patient records on people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease (AD): their cognitive test results and background data such as age and education, as well as the severity of the memory disorder at the time of diagnosis. People diagnosed with a memory disorder were identified through the care registers for health care (Hilmo and AvoHilmo databases) and through data from health service providers.

The cognitive test results of people with memory disorders are compared with the test results of people of the same age who do not have a memory disorder. Based on these comparisons, the aim is to determine how age, sex and education affect cognition and which test cut-off values best distinguish people with memory disorders from those without the disorder.