A brief assessment of cognitive and motor functions associated with the
frontal/subcortical system was evaluated for discriminant validity.
Patients with dementia of Huntington's disease and Parkinson's disease
performed as well as normal control subjects on the Mini-Mental State Exam
(MMSE) but significantly worse on the Frontal/Subcortical Assessment
Battery (FSAB). Discriminant function analyses yielded significantly higher
rates of accurate classification with FSAB and MMSE combined than with MMSE
alone. Patients with Alzheimer's disease scored significantly lower than
other groups on both measures. The authors recommend the FSAB as an adjunct
to the MMSE for brief assessments of patients with suspected frontal or
subcortical pathology.Abstract Teaser