Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsQuestionsScoring & ResultsAccuracyNext StepsPros and Cons
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Questions
Scoring & Results
Accuracy
Next Steps
Pros and Cons
SLUMS, the Saint Louis University Mental Status Examination, is a screening test forAlzheimer’s diseaseand otherkinds of dementia. It is an alternative to the widely used Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Based on their responses, participants receive a SLUMS score that can be used to help healthcare providers screen for dementia.
SLUMS was designed to be more effective at identifying people with very earlyAlzheimer’s symptoms, also calledmild cognitive impairment(MCI) or mild neurocognitive disorder (MNCD).These symptoms occur as people progress from normal aging to early Alzheimer’s disease.
Thomas Barwick / Getty Images
What Does SLUMS Assess?
SLUMS measures aspects of cognition. It consists of 11 questions that help a healthcare provider evaluate:
For example, the administrator will ask the test taker to:
You can view the full SLUMS assessment on St. Louis University’s website. The SLUMS test takes approximately seven minutes to administer.
A doctor or other qualified medical professional should give the test. Even though the test can be downloaded for free for anyone to use, a medical professional can help put the results in perspective and determine if any further tests are needed.
SLUMS Scoring and Results
Depending on the question, answers count for between 0 and 5 points. Final SLUMS scores range from 0 to 30.
SLUMS scores are interpreted as follows:
How Accurate Is SLUMS?
SLUMS is thought to be more sensitive than the MMSE, another assessment of cognitive function. That means it can more reliably determine who is in various levels of cognitive decline.
A study involving 58 nursing home residents compared the SLUMS' ability to detect early stages of dementia to that of the MMSE, as well as the Short Test of Mental State (STMS) and the Test Your Memory (TYM) screen—other cognition assessments.
They found that the SLUMS test was significantly better at being able to identify dementia in its early stages as compared to the other tests.
Research also found that although both the SLUMS and the MMSE have a total of 30 points, the average score of the SLUMS is approximately five points lower than that of the MMSE. This supports the idea that the SLUMS is a more demanding test and, thus, likely to be more sensitive to mild cognitive impairment.
What Is the MMSE?
Next Steps After Testing
After someone receives their SLUMS score, their healthcare provider will determine if further testing should be performed. Some further tests might include:
Neuropsychiatric Testing:Neuropsychiatric testingmight include a variety of tests that the neuropsychiatric evaluator will determine based on the patient’s symptoms.
ADAS-Cog Test: Short for the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale, the ADAS-Cog test may measure cognition. It is an 11-part test that includes word recall,visuospatial abilities, and more.
Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA): TheMoCA testcan help identify if a person has dementia, although it cannot determine the cause of dementia. Like the SLUMS test, it can help detect mild cognitive impairment.
Brain Imaging: Some healthcare providers might order imaging tests like a CT scan or MRI to help rule out other factors that might lead to cognitive decline, like brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, or stroke.
Advantages and Disadvantages of SLUMS
Though it has notable pluses, the SLUMS test also has some cons that need to be considered.
ProsBetter than MMSE at identifying milder cognitive problems that don’t yet rise to the level of dementiaFree to use; other tests require a feeConsNot as widely used as MMSELess researched for reliability and validity than the MMSE
ProsBetter than MMSE at identifying milder cognitive problems that don’t yet rise to the level of dementiaFree to use; other tests require a fee
Better than MMSE at identifying milder cognitive problems that don’t yet rise to the level of dementia
Free to use; other tests require a fee
ConsNot as widely used as MMSELess researched for reliability and validity than the MMSE
Not as widely used as MMSE
Less researched for reliability and validity than the MMSE
Summary
The SLUMS test is an important part of the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia. It is more sensitive than prior tests like the MMSE, so it can pick up milder cognitive decline.
The test involves assessing the person’s orientation to time and place, short-term memory, ability to perform straightforward calculations, naming of animals, ability to draw a specific time on a clock face, and recognition of geometric figures.
A score of 27 to 30 reflects normal cognitive function for someone with a high school education; 20-26 indicates mild cognitive disorder; and under 20 indicates dementia. After the SLUMS test, healthcare providers may do additional testing.
It is important that a healthcare provider administers and assesses the results of the SLUMS test, even though people can access it themselves. A healthcare provider can put the results in the appropriate context for each person.
How Is Alzheimer’s Disease Diagnosed?
6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Howland M, Tatsuoka C, Smyth KA, Sajatovic M.Detecting change over time: a comparison of the SLUMS examination and the MMSE in older adults at risk for cognitive decline.CNS Neurosci Ther. 2016;22(5):413-9. doi:10.1111/cns.12515St. Louis University Medical School.VAMC SLUMS examination.Kaya D, Isik AT, Usarel C, Soysal P, Ellidokuz H, Grossberg GT.The Saint Louis University mental status examination is better than the mini-mental state examination to determine the cognitive impairment in Turkish elderly people.J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2016;17(4):370.e11-15. doi:10.1016/j.jamda.2015.12.093Szcześniak D, Rymaszewska J.The usfulness of the SLUMS test for diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment and dementia.Psychiatr Pol.2016;50(2):457-72. doi:10.12740/PP/OnlineFirst/43141.Kueper JK, Speechley M, Montero-odasso M.The Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog): modifications and responsiveness in pre-dementia populations. a narrative review.J Alzheimers Dis. 2018;63(2):423-444. doi:10.3233/JAD-170991Banerjee D, Muralidharan A, Hakim Mohammed AR, Malik BH.Neuroimaging in dementia: a brief review.Cureus. 2020;12(6):e8682. doi:10.7759/cureus.8682Additional ReadingTariq SH, Tumosa N, Chibnall JT, et al. Comparison of the Saint Louis University Mental Status Examination and the Mini-Mental State Examination for detecting dementia and mild neurocognitive disorder: a pilot study.Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2006;14:900-910.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17068312/
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Howland M, Tatsuoka C, Smyth KA, Sajatovic M.Detecting change over time: a comparison of the SLUMS examination and the MMSE in older adults at risk for cognitive decline.CNS Neurosci Ther. 2016;22(5):413-9. doi:10.1111/cns.12515St. Louis University Medical School.VAMC SLUMS examination.Kaya D, Isik AT, Usarel C, Soysal P, Ellidokuz H, Grossberg GT.The Saint Louis University mental status examination is better than the mini-mental state examination to determine the cognitive impairment in Turkish elderly people.J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2016;17(4):370.e11-15. doi:10.1016/j.jamda.2015.12.093Szcześniak D, Rymaszewska J.The usfulness of the SLUMS test for diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment and dementia.Psychiatr Pol.2016;50(2):457-72. doi:10.12740/PP/OnlineFirst/43141.Kueper JK, Speechley M, Montero-odasso M.The Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog): modifications and responsiveness in pre-dementia populations. a narrative review.J Alzheimers Dis. 2018;63(2):423-444. doi:10.3233/JAD-170991Banerjee D, Muralidharan A, Hakim Mohammed AR, Malik BH.Neuroimaging in dementia: a brief review.Cureus. 2020;12(6):e8682. doi:10.7759/cureus.8682Additional ReadingTariq SH, Tumosa N, Chibnall JT, et al. Comparison of the Saint Louis University Mental Status Examination and the Mini-Mental State Examination for detecting dementia and mild neurocognitive disorder: a pilot study.Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2006;14:900-910.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17068312/
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Howland M, Tatsuoka C, Smyth KA, Sajatovic M.Detecting change over time: a comparison of the SLUMS examination and the MMSE in older adults at risk for cognitive decline.CNS Neurosci Ther. 2016;22(5):413-9. doi:10.1111/cns.12515St. Louis University Medical School.VAMC SLUMS examination.Kaya D, Isik AT, Usarel C, Soysal P, Ellidokuz H, Grossberg GT.The Saint Louis University mental status examination is better than the mini-mental state examination to determine the cognitive impairment in Turkish elderly people.J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2016;17(4):370.e11-15. doi:10.1016/j.jamda.2015.12.093Szcześniak D, Rymaszewska J.The usfulness of the SLUMS test for diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment and dementia.Psychiatr Pol.2016;50(2):457-72. doi:10.12740/PP/OnlineFirst/43141.Kueper JK, Speechley M, Montero-odasso M.The Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog): modifications and responsiveness in pre-dementia populations. a narrative review.J Alzheimers Dis. 2018;63(2):423-444. doi:10.3233/JAD-170991Banerjee D, Muralidharan A, Hakim Mohammed AR, Malik BH.Neuroimaging in dementia: a brief review.Cureus. 2020;12(6):e8682. doi:10.7759/cureus.8682
Howland M, Tatsuoka C, Smyth KA, Sajatovic M.Detecting change over time: a comparison of the SLUMS examination and the MMSE in older adults at risk for cognitive decline.CNS Neurosci Ther. 2016;22(5):413-9. doi:10.1111/cns.12515
St. Louis University Medical School.VAMC SLUMS examination.
Kaya D, Isik AT, Usarel C, Soysal P, Ellidokuz H, Grossberg GT.The Saint Louis University mental status examination is better than the mini-mental state examination to determine the cognitive impairment in Turkish elderly people.J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2016;17(4):370.e11-15. doi:10.1016/j.jamda.2015.12.093
Szcześniak D, Rymaszewska J.The usfulness of the SLUMS test for diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment and dementia.Psychiatr Pol.2016;50(2):457-72. doi:10.12740/PP/OnlineFirst/43141.
Kueper JK, Speechley M, Montero-odasso M.The Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog): modifications and responsiveness in pre-dementia populations. a narrative review.J Alzheimers Dis. 2018;63(2):423-444. doi:10.3233/JAD-170991
Banerjee D, Muralidharan A, Hakim Mohammed AR, Malik BH.Neuroimaging in dementia: a brief review.Cureus. 2020;12(6):e8682. doi:10.7759/cureus.8682
Tariq SH, Tumosa N, Chibnall JT, et al. Comparison of the Saint Louis University Mental Status Examination and the Mini-Mental State Examination for detecting dementia and mild neurocognitive disorder: a pilot study.Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2006;14:900-910.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17068312/
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