Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsIncluded TestsAccuracy of the 7MS7MS Benefits7MS Limitations

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Included Tests

Accuracy of the 7MS

7MS Benefits

7MS Limitations

Dementiatest questions, and the variety of tests that healthcare providers use, are designed to help assess cognitive function and arrive at a diagnosis when dementia, includingAlzheimer’s disease, is suspected. One of these tests is called the 7-minute screen, or 7MS test.

Tests like 7MS, the Ascertain Dementia 8 (AD8), and digital options and medical devices like the Cognixion headset, are useful in identifyingmild cognitive impairment.However, research on dementia screening tests has yet to demonstrate significant clinical benefits for those who are then diagnosed and treated with a dementia disorder.Neither, though, does there appear to be harm.

This article presents information about the 7MS test and how it is used. It also explains the limitations of the 7MS test and lists other cognitive screening tests you may encounter.

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Hands of older woman writing in journal

1. Enhanced Cued Recall

After going through all of the pictures, a distracting task such as listing the months of the year in both a forward and backward order is assigned, and then the person is asked again to recall the 16 items, along with the cue if necessary.

2. Temporal Orientation

This section of the 7MS addresses orientation through the use of the Benton Temporal Orientation test. It asks the person to identify the correct day, month, year, date, and time of day. Other screening tests for dementia may ask similar orientation questions, but this test adjusts the scoring for answers that are close to the correct answer.

Otherorientationtests often do not factor in an “almost correct” answer, only giving credit for a correct answer and no points for an incorrect answer.

3. Verbal Fluency

Theverbal fluencytest involves asking the person to name as many animals as they can in 60 seconds.

4. Clock Drawing

Theclock drawingtest is a frequently used test where the person is asked to draw a clock and set the hands of the clock at a certain time.

Tests for Cognition and Dementia

Apart from the 7MS, other cognitive, function, and behavioral tests are used to evaluate dementia. These include:

Several studies have shown that the 7MS consistently can discriminate between someone whose cognition is intact and someone who is experiencing cognitive impairments.As noted above, this test also can also detect mild cognitive impairment, a condition that sometimes but not always progresses to Alzheimer’s disease.

In addition to its ability to detect cognitive impairment in its earlier stages, the 7MS takes seven to eight minutes on average to administer, thus offering an effective way to screen for early dementia symptoms in a time-sensitive manner.It also requires little training for the test administrators.

Summary

The 7-minute screen test, or 7MS test, is a method of assessing cognitive function to determine if someone is developing dementia. Like other tests, such as the Ascertain Dementia 8 (AD8) or the Mini-Cog, it relies on a series of tasks to evaluate how well they are performed.

The 7MS includes four such components: enhanced cued recall, temporal orientation, verbal fluency, and clock drawing. The results help to determine if an Alzheimer’s diagnosis (or other dementia disorder) is needed.

The 7MS is fast and easy to administer but should be used in conjunction with other tests. Talk to your healthcare provider if you have questions about how the test and results are used.

How Dementia Is Diagnosed

5 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.Alzheimer’s Association.Medical Tests for Diagnosing Alzheimer’s.Patnode CD, Perdue LA, Rossom RC, Rushkin MC, Redmond N, Thomas RG,et al.Screening for Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults: An Evidence Update for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2020 Feb. Report No.: 19-05257-EF-1. PMID: 32129963.Vyhnalek M, Jester DJ, Andel R, Horakova H, Nikolai T, Laczó J,et al.Contribution of Memory Tests to Early Identification of Conversion from Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment to Dementia.J Alzheimers Dis. 2022;88(4):1397-1409. doi:10.3233/JAD-215364.Meulen EF, Schmand B, Van campen JP, et al.The seven minute screen: a neurocognitive screening test highly sensitive to various types of dementia.J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2004;75(5):700-5. doi:10.1136/jnnp.2003.021055Ijuin M, Homma A, Mimura M, et al.Validation of the 7-Minute Screen for the detection of early-stage Alzheimer’s disease.Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2008;25(3):248-55. doi:10.1159/000115972Additional ReadingBrown University.Medicine and Health. January 2005. 88 (1). Cognitive Screening of Older Adults.Meulen EF, Schmand B, Van campen JP, et al.The seven minute screen: a neurocognitive screening test highly sensitive to various types of dementia.J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2004;75(5):700-5. doi:10.1136/jnnp.2003.021055Moyer VA.Screening for cognitive impairment in older adults: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement.Ann Intern Med. 2014;160(11):791-7. doi:10.7326/M14-0496Trushna, T., Mohan, DS, Nair, S., & Manjunatha, S.A simple screening test with a potential to detect diabetic cognitive impairment in the geriatric population: a preliminary study.

5 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.Alzheimer’s Association.Medical Tests for Diagnosing Alzheimer’s.Patnode CD, Perdue LA, Rossom RC, Rushkin MC, Redmond N, Thomas RG,et al.Screening for Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults: An Evidence Update for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2020 Feb. Report No.: 19-05257-EF-1. PMID: 32129963.Vyhnalek M, Jester DJ, Andel R, Horakova H, Nikolai T, Laczó J,et al.Contribution of Memory Tests to Early Identification of Conversion from Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment to Dementia.J Alzheimers Dis. 2022;88(4):1397-1409. doi:10.3233/JAD-215364.Meulen EF, Schmand B, Van campen JP, et al.The seven minute screen: a neurocognitive screening test highly sensitive to various types of dementia.J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2004;75(5):700-5. doi:10.1136/jnnp.2003.021055Ijuin M, Homma A, Mimura M, et al.Validation of the 7-Minute Screen for the detection of early-stage Alzheimer’s disease.Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2008;25(3):248-55. doi:10.1159/000115972Additional ReadingBrown University.Medicine and Health. January 2005. 88 (1). Cognitive Screening of Older Adults.Meulen EF, Schmand B, Van campen JP, et al.The seven minute screen: a neurocognitive screening test highly sensitive to various types of dementia.J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2004;75(5):700-5. doi:10.1136/jnnp.2003.021055Moyer VA.Screening for cognitive impairment in older adults: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement.Ann Intern Med. 2014;160(11):791-7. doi:10.7326/M14-0496Trushna, T., Mohan, DS, Nair, S., & Manjunatha, S.A simple screening test with a potential to detect diabetic cognitive impairment in the geriatric population: a preliminary study.

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.

Alzheimer’s Association.Medical Tests for Diagnosing Alzheimer’s.Patnode CD, Perdue LA, Rossom RC, Rushkin MC, Redmond N, Thomas RG,et al.Screening for Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults: An Evidence Update for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2020 Feb. Report No.: 19-05257-EF-1. PMID: 32129963.Vyhnalek M, Jester DJ, Andel R, Horakova H, Nikolai T, Laczó J,et al.Contribution of Memory Tests to Early Identification of Conversion from Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment to Dementia.J Alzheimers Dis. 2022;88(4):1397-1409. doi:10.3233/JAD-215364.Meulen EF, Schmand B, Van campen JP, et al.The seven minute screen: a neurocognitive screening test highly sensitive to various types of dementia.J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2004;75(5):700-5. doi:10.1136/jnnp.2003.021055Ijuin M, Homma A, Mimura M, et al.Validation of the 7-Minute Screen for the detection of early-stage Alzheimer’s disease.Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2008;25(3):248-55. doi:10.1159/000115972

Alzheimer’s Association.Medical Tests for Diagnosing Alzheimer’s.

Patnode CD, Perdue LA, Rossom RC, Rushkin MC, Redmond N, Thomas RG,et al.Screening for Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults: An Evidence Update for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2020 Feb. Report No.: 19-05257-EF-1. PMID: 32129963.

Vyhnalek M, Jester DJ, Andel R, Horakova H, Nikolai T, Laczó J,et al.Contribution of Memory Tests to Early Identification of Conversion from Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment to Dementia.J Alzheimers Dis. 2022;88(4):1397-1409. doi:10.3233/JAD-215364.

Meulen EF, Schmand B, Van campen JP, et al.The seven minute screen: a neurocognitive screening test highly sensitive to various types of dementia.J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2004;75(5):700-5. doi:10.1136/jnnp.2003.021055

Ijuin M, Homma A, Mimura M, et al.Validation of the 7-Minute Screen for the detection of early-stage Alzheimer’s disease.Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2008;25(3):248-55. doi:10.1159/000115972

Brown University.Medicine and Health. January 2005. 88 (1). Cognitive Screening of Older Adults.Meulen EF, Schmand B, Van campen JP, et al.The seven minute screen: a neurocognitive screening test highly sensitive to various types of dementia.J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2004;75(5):700-5. doi:10.1136/jnnp.2003.021055Moyer VA.Screening for cognitive impairment in older adults: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement.Ann Intern Med. 2014;160(11):791-7. doi:10.7326/M14-0496Trushna, T., Mohan, DS, Nair, S., & Manjunatha, S.A simple screening test with a potential to detect diabetic cognitive impairment in the geriatric population: a preliminary study.

Brown University.Medicine and Health. January 2005. 88 (1). Cognitive Screening of Older Adults.

Moyer VA.Screening for cognitive impairment in older adults: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement.Ann Intern Med. 2014;160(11):791-7. doi:10.7326/M14-0496

Trushna, T., Mohan, DS, Nair, S., & Manjunatha, S.A simple screening test with a potential to detect diabetic cognitive impairment in the geriatric population: a preliminary study.

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