The clock drawing test is an important contribution to the Mini Mental State Examination in screening for cognitive impairment.

Background: The clock drawing test (CDT) and the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) are frequently used screening instruments for cognitive impairment, however, the precise contribution of the CDT to the MMSE is largely unknown.

Methods: We studied patients with subjective cognitive impairment (SCI, n = 481), mild cognitive impairment (MCI, n = 628) and Alzheimer's disease (AD, n = 1099). Discrimination between patients was examined with multiple logistic regression, adjusted for age, sex, and education.

Motivations of patients and their care partners for visiting a memory clinic. A qualitative study.

Objective: We investigated motivations of patients and care partners for their memory clinic visit, and whether these are expressed in consultations.

Methods: We included data from 115 patients (age 71 ± 11, 49% Female) and their care partners (N = 93), who completed questionnaires after their first consultation with a clinician. Audio-recordings of these consultations were available from 105 patients.

Prevalence and Association of Basal Ganglia Calcifications and Depressive Symptoms in Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment or Dementia.

Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate the association between basal ganglia calcification (BGC) and depressive symptoms within older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia.

Methods: For this cross-sectional study, we included patients with MCI or dementia who visited the memory clinic between April 2009 and April 2015. All patients underwent a standard diagnostic workup, including assessment of depressive symptoms with the Geriatric Depression Scale and computed tomography imaging of the brain.

Basal ganglia calcifications: No association with cognitive function.

Background And Purpose: Basal ganglia calcifications (BGC), a form of vascular calcification, are a common brain computed tomography (CT) finding. We investigated whether BGC are associated with cognitive function and examined the association between vascular risk factors and BGC.

Material And Methods: Patients who visited a memory clinic of a Dutch general hospital between April 2009 and April 2015 were included.

Intracranial artery calcifications: Risk factors and association with cardiovascular disease and cognitive function.

Background And Aims: we know little about clinical outcomes of arterial calcifications. This study investigates the risk factors of intracranial artery calcifications and its association with cardiovascular disease and cognitive function.

Methods: patients were recruited from a Dutch memory clinic, between April 2009 and April 2015.

Education as Proxy for Cognitive Reserve in a Large Elderly Memory Clinic: 'Window of Benefit'.

Background: The role of cognitive reserve (CR) to explain individual differences in cognitive functioning is unclear in memory clinic patients.

Objective: To examine the cross-sectional effect of CR on cognition in relation to levels of neurodegeneration in a large elderly single-center memory clinic population.

Methods: We included patients with subjective cognitive impairment (SCI, n = 481), mild cognitive impairment (MCI, n = 628) or Alzheimer's disease (AD, n = 1,099).

Cerebral White Matter Lesions have Low Impact on Cognitive Function in a Large Elderly Memory Clinic Population.

Background: Evidence suggests that cerebral white matter lesions (WML) play a role in cognitive decline.

Objective: To assess the impact of cerebral WML on cognitive function relative to absence or presence of medial temporal atrophy (MTA) in a large single-center memory clinic population.

Methods: Patients included had subjective cognitive impairment (SCI, n = 333), mild cognitive impairment (MCI, n = 492) and Alzheimer's disease (AD, n = 832).

Practical use of visual medial temporal lobe atrophy cut-off scores in Alzheimer's disease: Validation in a large memory clinic population.

Objective: To provide age-specific medial temporal lobe atrophy (MTA) cut-off scores for routine clinical practice as marker for Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Methods: Patients with AD (n = 832, mean age 81.8 years) were compared with patients with subjective cognitive impairment (n = 333, mean age 71.

Dementia and Rapid Mortality: Who is at Risk?

Background: Dementia is typically known for its insidious onset and slowly progressive course, but a subgroup deteriorates fast and dies within years or even months.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to characterize dementia patients with a rapidly progressive course to death and evaluate their cause of death.

Methods: We retrospectively included all patients from the Amsterdam Dementia Cohort who died within two years after diagnosis.

Low Prevalence of Mixed Dementia in a Cohort of 2,000 Elderly Patients in a Memory Clinic Setting.

Background: It is generally assumed that with increasing age, pathology in clinically diagnosed Alzheimer's disease (AD) becomes more mixed, i.e., co-existence of amyloid plaques and cerebrovascular pathology.

Associations between magnetic resonance imaging measures and neuropsychological impairment in early and late onset alzheimer's disease.

Aim: To assess the associations of global atrophy and white matter hyperintensities (WMH) with neuropsychological function in early and late onset Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Methods: We included 107 patients with sporadic AD (21 early onset and 86 late onset) from our memory clinic. Tests for (working) memory, language, executive function, mental speed, and attention were administered.

Behavioural and psychological symptoms in vascular dementia; differences between small- and large-vessel disease.

Aim: The authors investigated the prevalence of behavioural and psychological symptoms in vascular dementia (VaD) from baseline data of the VantagE study and compared the severity and relative frequency of symptoms between small-vessel VaD and large-vessel VaD.

Methods: Behavioural and psychological symptoms of 484 VaD patients included in a large multicentre clinical trial (registration number NCT00099216) were determined using the 12-item Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). Symptoms were considered present when the score was > or =1.

Progression of mild cognitive impairment to dementia: contribution of cerebrovascular disease compared with medial temporal lobe atrophy.

Background And Purpose: We sought to determine the predictive value of magnetic resonance imaging measures of vascular disease (white matter hyperintensities [WMHs], lacunes, microbleeds, and infarcts) compared with atrophy on the progression of mild cognitive impairment to dementia.

Methods: We included 152 consecutive patients with mild cognitive impairment. Baseline magnetic resonance imaging was used to determine the presence of medial temporal lobe atrophy and vascular disease (presence of lacunes, microbleeds, and infarcts was determined, and WMHs were rated on a semiquantitative scale).

Neurological signs in relation to type of cerebrovascular disease in vascular dementia.

Background And Purpose: The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of a number of neurological signs in a large population of patients with vascular dementia (VaD) and to compare the relative frequency of specific neurological signs dependent on type of cerebrovascular disease.

Methods: Seven hundred six patients with VaD (NINDS-AIREN) were included from a large multicenter clinical trial (registration number NCT00099216). At baseline neurological examination, the presence of 16 neurological signs was assessed.

The contribution of medial temporal lobe atrophy and vascular pathology to cognitive impairment in vascular dementia.

Background And Purpose: Besides cerebrovascular disease, medial temporal lobe atrophy (MTA), a neuroimaging finding suggestive of degenerative pathology, has been shown in vascular dementia (VaD). However, it is unknown to what extent MTA contributes to the pattern of cognitive impairment observed in VaD. Therefore, our purpose was to investigate the relative contribution of cerebrovascular disease and MTA to cognitive impairment in patients fulfilling diagnostic criteria for VaD.

Behavioural and psychological symptoms are not related to white matter hyperintensities and medial temporal lobe atrophy in Alzheimer's disease.

Background: The neuropathology of behavioural and psychological symptoms is much less understood than the neuropathology of cognitive impairment in AD. On MRI, medial temporal lobe atrophy (MTA) is presumed to reflect Alzheimer- type pathology. White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are considered markers of vascular pathology.