[DAD-6: an abbreviated version of the DAD scale (disability assessment for dementia). An instrument for detection of loss of autonomy at an early stage].

This paper presents the French version of DAD-6, a validated instrument for the assessment of IADL (instrumental activities of daily living) considered as intentional and complex activities. A loss of autonomy remains a major criterion in the diagnosis of dementia. In addition, IADL assessment is recommended as a primary outcome in dementia drug trials.

How to design nutritional intervention trials to slow cognitive decline in apparently healthy populations and apply for efficacy claims: a statement from the International Academy on Nutrition and Aging Task Force.

Interventions are crucial as they offer simple and inexpensive public health solutions that will be useful over the long term use. A Task Force on designing trials of nutritional interventions to slow cognitive decline in older adults was held in Toulouse in September 2012. The aim of the Task Force was to bring together leading experts from academia, the food industry and regulatory agencies to determine the best trial designs that would enable us to reach our goal of maintaining or improving cognitive function in apparently healthy aging people.

[Mini-Mental State Examination:a useful method for the evaluation of the cognitive status of patients by the clinician. Consensual French version].

Unlabelled: A PRACTICAL TOOL: Screening for cognitive deficiency has been considerably improved by the use of a standardized tool, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). The MMSE only takes a few minutes and furnishes quantitative data for comparison between patients and to follow the evolution of a given patient.

An Important Role: The MMSE is particularly useful for screening for dementia and states of mental confusion.

[Viewpoint on the methodology of drug trials affecting cognition of elderly patients].

Clinical trials for cognitive disorders in the elderly require specific methodological guidelines. They must take into account the psychosocial dimension of the patient and his family and must be based on serious neurobiologic knowledge. In degenerative dementias the progress of research concern genetics, molecular intercellular recognition and astrocytic cells.