The Use of the Modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS-M) in the Detection of Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment

• Published in: Journal of geriatric psychiatry and neurology 2009-06, Vol.22 (2), p.103-109
• Main Authors: Cook, Sarah E., Marsiske, Michael, McCoy, Karin J. M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Amnesia - diagnosis; Biological and medical sciences; Cognition Disorders - diagnosis; Cost-Benefit Analysis; Degenerative and inherited degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Leukodystrophies. Prion diseases; Dementia - diagnosis; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Geriatric Assessment; Geriatrics; Humans; Interviews as Topic - methods; Male; Mass Screening - economics; Mass Screening - methods; Mass Screening - statistics & numerical data; Medical sciences; Neurology; Neuropsychological Tests; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales - statistics & numerical data; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Remote Consultation; ROC Curve; Sensitivity and Specificity; Severity of Illness Index; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs
• ISSN: 0891-9887; 1552-5708
• DOI: 10.1177/0891988708328214

Many screening tools for detecting cognitive decline require in-person assessment, which is often not cost-effective or feasible for those with physical limitations. The Modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status has been used for screening dementia, but little is known about its usefulness in detecting amnestic mild cognitive impairment. Community-dwelling participants (mean age = 74.9, mean education = 16.1 years) were administered the Modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status during initial screening and subsequently given a multidomain neuropsychological battery. Participants were classified by consensus panel as cognitively normal older adult (noMCI, N = 54) or amnestic mild cognitive impairment (N = 17) based on neuropsychological performance and Clinical Dementia Rating Scale interview, but independent of Modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status score. There was a significant difference between groups in Modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status score (t = 8.04, P < .01, noMCI range 32-43, mean [SD] = 37.4 [2.5], amnestic mild cognitive impairment range 25-37, mean [SD] = 31.2 [3.5]). Discriminant function analysis revealed that TICS-M alone correctly classified 85.9% of participants into their respective diagnostic classification (sensitivity = 82.4%, specificity = 87.0%). Receiver operating characteristics analysis resulted in cutoff score of 34 that optimized sensitivity and specificity of amnestic mild cognitive impairment classification. The Modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status is a brief, cost-effective screening measure for identifying those with and without amnestic mild cognitive impairment.