An aging world population provides challenges for diagnostics within the field of geriatric psychiatry.

The Memory Diagnostic System(MDS) is a computerized cognitive test instrument developed for the detection of amnestic mild cognitive impairment(aMCI) in Korea. In current study, its diagnostic utility for application within Korean clinical practice was evaluated.

This study was conducted to evaluate the concurrent and discriminant validity of computerized verbal and visuospatial memory tests of the MDS.

To determine the concurrent validity, we recruited normally aging individuals and conducted a correlation analysis between these participants’ MDS scores and their scores on well-known measures used to assess each component construct: the Korean Auditory Verbal Learning Test (K-AVLT) and the Korean Rey Complex Figure Test (K-CFT). We also evaluated aMCI patients in comparison to healthy controls using the MDS as a screening instrument.

Correlations between immediate recall, delayed recall, and delayed recognition scores on the computerized verbal memory test and the corresponding scores on the K-AVLT were 0.74, 0.61, and 0.50, respectively (p<0.01, n=30). The correlation between recognition scores (as measured by the computerized visuospatial memory test) and recall scores (as measured by the K-CFT) was 0.48 (immediate), 0.48 (delayed; p<0.01, n=30). The MDS was also useful for determining differential diagnoses between aMCI patients and healthy controls, suggesting the discriminant validity of the MDS.

The MDS is a useful instrument for discriminating between aMCI cases and healthy controls within clinical practice.