Brain & Nervous System Alzheimer's Diagnosis AD8 Dementia Screening Interview for Caregivers By Andrew Rosenzweig, MD Andrew Rosenzweig, MD LinkedIn Andrew Rosenzweig, MD, MPH, is an Alzheimer's disease expert and the chief clinical officer for MedOptions. Learn about our editorial process Updated on October 23, 2020 Medically reviewed by Diana Apetauerova, MD Medically reviewed by Diana Apetauerova, MD on July 26, 2020 LinkedIn Diana Apetauerova, MD, is board-certified in neurology with a subspecialty in movement disorders. She is an associate clinical professor of neurology at Tufts University. Learn about our Medical Review Board Print The AD8 is an 8-item questionnaire that can help distinguish between people who have dementia and people who don't. It is considered an informant-based assessment because instead of the patient being questioned, the patient's informant (usually a spouse, child, or non-family caregiver) is asked to assess whether there have been changes in the past few years in certain areas of cognition and functioning. These include memory, orientation, executive functioning, and interest in activities. The AD8 has a yes or no format and takes only 3 minutes or so to complete. As with any Alzheimer's test, the AD8 is a screening test and does not take the place of a thorough diagnostic workup of Alzheimer's disease. LWA / Getty Images Scoring of the AD8 Scoring of the AD8 is extremely simple: two or more "yes" answers are strongly suggestive of dementia, with the test having a sensitivity of 85% and a specificity of 86%. Sensitivity refers to the test's accuracy in identifying individuals with the disease (i.e., persons with Alzheimer's test as positive). Specificity refers to the test's effectiveness in identifying people who do not have the disease (i.e., persons without the disease test as negative). Usefulness In addition to its use as a screening test for Alzheimer's disease, the AD8 is especially useful as a way to involve the caregiver. Caregivers can complete the AD8 at home in the presence of their loved one and then bring the results to the appointment, which may help the clinician to more effectively diagnose and treat dementia. Overall Advantages and Disadvantages The AD8 is a rapidly administered, reliable Alzheimer's test that can be performed at home or in other settings. It has an extremely simple scoring system, with two or more "yes" answers suggesting that further diagnostic tests are warranted. A disadvantage is that an informant may not be available. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! When it comes to Alzheimer's, the MIND diet has shown promise in reducing risk and promoting brain health. Sign up for our Alzheimer’s and Dementia Newsletter and get your free recipe guide today. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Galvin JE, Rose CM, Powlishta KK, et al. the AD8. A brief informant interview to detect dementia. Neurology. 2005;65:559-564.