The MINT Sprint 2.0: A picture naming test for detection of naming impairments in Alzheimer's disease and in preclinical AD.

Abstract

Evidence on the onset of naming deficits in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is mixed. Some studies showed an early decline, but others did not. The present study introduces evidence from a novel naming test. Cognitively normal (n=138), mild cognitive impairment (MCI; n=21), and Alzheimer's disease (AD; n=31) groups completed an expanded Multilingual Naming Test with a time-pressured administration procedure (MINT Sprint 2.0). Cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers classified participants as true controls (n=61) or preclinical AD (n=26). Total correct MINT Sprint 2.0 scores exhibited good sensitivity and specificity (>0.85) for discriminating true controls from cognitively impaired (MCI/AD) groups and showed significant differences between true controls and preclinical AD groups. Time measurement did not improve classification, but percent resolved scores exhibited promise as an independent AD marker. Naming deficits can be detected in the earliest stages of AD with tests and procedures designed for this purpose.