There is absolutely no dearth of social media fads when it comes to health. Scroll through your feed or search online and you will find quick memory quizzes claiming to reveal whether someone has Alzheimer's disease. For families worried about a loved one's forgetfulness, or for anyone noticing small lapses in their own memory, these tests can feel like a fast and simple way to get peace of mind, or an early warning.
But memory and brain health are far more complicated than a five minute quiz can tell you. Alzheimer's disease develops slowly, affects people differently, and can only be properly understood through a detailed medical evaluation.
So how much should we actually trust these quick screening tools, and what do they really tell us about a person's cognitive health? We asked two neurologists to explain what these tests can do, what they cannot do, and what people should do instead if they are genuinely concerned about memory changes in themselves or someone they love.
What a short test can and cannot tell you
A short memory test may be useful as a first step in the process of detecting possible changes in cognition, but cannot confirm or exclude Alzheimer's disease, says Dr. Shrikant Sharma, Director, Neurosciences, Kailash Healthcare. The tests are intended to evaluate some of the mental functions, including memory, attention, orientation and simple mental tasks. But Alzheimer's is a complicated disease, Dr. Sharma says, and a comprehensive review is needed.
Dr. Abhishek Dixit, Consultant, Neurology, Paras Health Gurugram, says that some short and proven cognitive tests can be used by physicians to select individuals who might benefit from additional testing for memory or thinking problems. Some of these tests are brief and require, for example, the recall of words, the answer to orientation questions or simple tasks.
Why test scores can be misleading
There are a number of factors that could affect how a person performs in a short test, such as age, level of education, familiarity with the language, stress, quality of sleep, and other illnesses, Dr. Sharma explains. Likewise, if someone had early cognitive changes then he/she might perform reasonably well on a brief assessment. Thus, Dr. Sharma says, any assessment of test scores must always be made in relation to the symptoms experienced by the individual and his or her medical history.
But finding an approximate cognitive issue is not the same as a diagnosis of Alzheimer's, Dr. Dixit says. A screening test can't definitively determine the cause of memory problems. There are a variety of reasons for forgetfulness, such as sleeping issues, side effects of medications, mood issues, or other medical conditions, according to Dr. Dixit. One factor to consider is that Alzheimer's disease may be a possible cause and should be thoroughly evaluated.
What doctors actually look for
If the patient or family member notes ongoing memory problems, the doctor may recommend a comprehensive clinical assessment, which may involve neurological assessments, memory tests and appropriate blood tests or brain imaging, Dr. Sharma says. The goal, he adds, is to learn what the symptoms are and what might have caused them.
Doctors also consider if the person is having problems with daily living, which include handling finances, following routines or recalling recent conversations, Dr. Dixit says. Family member/caregiver information may be useful in making sense of change over time, he adds.
When to seek a proper medical evaluation
The bottom line is that a five-minute memory test is a screening test, not a diagnosis, Dr. Sharma says. If memory problems continue or get worse, they should be taken up with a health care provider, rather than evaluated by taking a quiz online, or by one test score, he says.
If memory problems are ongoing, become progressively more disruptive to life, a medical assessment is recommended, Dr. Dixit says. Further cognitive assessments, blood tests or brain imaging may be needed depending on the clinical findings.
Using a short memory test can open the door to a discussion, but is not intended as a diagnostic tool for Alzheimer's disease. Prompt medical evaluation aids in determining the cause and appropriate treatment.
