Set-Up and Completion Summary
Objective/Purpose:
The purpose of this project was to come up with a screening test that incorporated new research and to condense the test so that the examination can be primary care appointment friendly. Primary care appointments last for 15-20 minutes, which is a short time frame to examine all factors that could deteriorate someone's health. So, I narrowed the test to 5 questions that should not take more than 5 minutes. Now more than ever, it is important to catch someone with Alzheimer’s disease in an early stage. This means regular tests should be given to older patients. Creating a short and effective will help keep the duration of a patient’s appointment to a minimum and have success in pointing out who could have Alzheimer’s disease.
Materials:
For this project, I needed a lot of literature to back up the reasons behind each question on my test. I mainly used Pubmed as a database, and the occasional random google searched for information. I also used coffee and cinnamon for the smell test portion of the screening. The two scents were infused in paper for the purpose of the screening test. My actual test is typed up on paper, and needs to be printed out to be taken. To grade the test and to ask the last question, another person is needed.
Description of Process:
I came up with the idea of making my own version of the Alzheimer’s disease screening test, because it was one of the few things I could do without the use of a lab, and could have actual applications after I made it. Since I had application in mind, I wanted to make sure that this test was effective and concise, so it could be used in regular doctors appointments. One issue with very accurate screening tests is that they are long, and will take up most of the time a general physician has with their patient. So, I decided to solve that problem with my Original work. I also wanted to incorporate a new aspect that could enhance the test. This lead me to do copious amounts of research on symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease patients, bodily changes in Alzheimer’s disease patients, and what early memory loss looked like in real life. I came down to deciding to compare a few well rated screening tests for memory and cognitive questions, and incorporating a smell test. Making the actual test was fairly simple, since I already had my test planned out. The only problem I faced was figuring out what smells were universal, and I narrowed it down to coffee and cinnamon. The test ended up being 5 questions, and approximately 5 minutes to complete.
Utilization of Higher-Level Thinking Skills:
I made a lot of connections as I researched for this project. The smell test was inspired by what I learned in Anatomy and physiology last year. I remember the teacher saying that memory and smell had a strong correlation. That lead me to compile some information on smell and its relation to the hippocampus, and then to if smell had any affect in patients with Alzheimers disease. My mentor helped me to find some resources, and gave me his knowledge of how the entorhinal cortex and hippocampus are connected. I came to the understanding that patients with Alzheimer’s disease cannot detect smell, and the entorhinal cortex degenerates faster and earlier than the hippocampus. Another connection I made was Vitamin D deficiency in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. I have a huge vitamin D deficiency and I tend to get groggy and not attentive, so I wondered if there was any correlation. I did research on this as well, and although there is evidence that vitamin D plays a role in the hippocampus, there is not enough research to prove that Vitamin D deficiency can be a biomarker in Alzheimer’s patients...yet. I did not include the Vitamin D test in my project because 1) there was not enough research, 2) I would not know how much was too little, and 3) I wanted a concise test, and this would just drag it on longer.
Results:
My original work consists of 5 questions. The beginning section focused on orientating, to see if the patient is aware of where and who they are. The first and fourth question involve memory, The second and third involve the smell test, and the fifth question is a clock drawing to test, to examine visuospatial perception. The total number of points that a patient can earn on this test is 12, and 10 or above would be considered normal.
Conclusions/Interpretations:
Overall, this experience was very enlightening, I got to delve into one specific disease, and I plan on broadening my understanding of Alzheimer’s disease even more after this semester. Although this test looks like not a lot of work was put into it, there was detailed research and careful thought put into each question and the organization of the questions. One thing I wish I could have added to my original work was a validation for my test. After this I plan to “test” this screening on people of various ages and various mental states and compare it to the MOCA. I want to know how effective it is in the real world. Though my research claims that my test is very viable, the real world is what counts. That being said, I am very proud of the work that I have produced. It fits the criteria that I was aiming for: incorporate new research and shorten it. Creating this test taught me about the parts of Alzheimer’s disease which I was ignorant to in the past, and helped me to delve deeply into the anatomical and physiological perception of it all.