The use of screening tests in panel studies to monitor cognitive functioning in senior participation programme groups using ACE-III and M-ACE

Using a longitudinal approach, this study compares cognitive screening tests (MMSE, ACE-III, M-ACE) in older patients. A total of 138 participants (112 women, 26 men; mean age 73.2 ± 7.4 years) underwent two examinations with a 13-month interval. Status change between health, MCI, and dementia categories was analysed. Significant shifts in categorisation were observed for MMSE and ACE-III (survey 1: χ² = 9.03, p = 0.0027; survey 2: χ² = 4.00, p = 0.0455), with more participants scoring lower on ACE-III. Similar shifts occurred for M-ACE (survey 1: χ² = 11.28, p = 0.0008; survey 2: χ² = 4.36, p = 0.0367). The ROC curve showed high AUC values for ACE-III and M-ACE (0.892 ± 0.031; 0.908 ± 0.027, respectively), with consistent sensitivity and specificity (p = 0.1516; p = 0.4534, respectively). ACE-III and M-ACE exhibited high sensitivity and specificity compared to MMSE with significant transitions indicating a high-risk group for dementia.