ABSTRACT
Descriptions of the pattern of cognitive impairment in moderate and severe dementia include fluctuating attention, slow learning, forgetfulness and difficulty in finding words that are appropriate to the conversation. These cognitive losses form the basis of a number of mental status tests and ‘dementia scores’. However, much less is known about cognition in the early stages of the disease process - Roth (1980). Yet it is early screening that holds out the best hope of accurate description of the natural history of dementia, and this, in turn, the greatest promise of the effective management of dementia.
