Possibility of Using Quantitative Assessment with the Cube Copying Test for Evaluation of Visuo-spatial Function in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical usefulness of the Cube Copying Test (CCT) for quantitative assessment of visuo-spatial function in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD).

METHODS

The CCT, Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices (RCPM), and other neuropsychological tests were administered to 152 AD outpatients. For the quantitative assessment of CCT, we scored the points of connection (POC) and the number of plane-drawing errors (PDE) and categorized the pattern classification (PAC). We also measured Functional Assessment Staging (FAST) to assess the severity of AD. The relationships among CCT, RCPM, and FAST were then analyzed.

RESULTS

The mean POC and PDE scores were 2.7 and 3.6, respectively, and the median PAC score was 6.0. PDE and PAC showed a linear relationship, but POC and PDE, and POC and PAC did not. Each component of CCT showed a significant correlation with RCPM scores. PDE and PAC had closer correlations with RCPM scores than POC did. The PDE and PAC results were significantly different among most of the FAST stages.

CONCLUSIONS

Quantitative assessment using CCT may be effective for the quick determination of the visuo-spatial function in AD patients.