Validation of the brief assessment of impaired cognition (BASIC) and brief assessment of impaired cognition questionnaire (BASIC-Q) in Italy

Background: Brief and accurate tools are needed to enhance the prompt identification of cognitive disorders. This study aimed to translate and adapt two recently developed, highly accurate instruments into Italian: the Brief Assessment of Impaired Cognition (BASIC) and the BASIC Questionnaire (BASIC-Q), and to validate their diagnostic accuracy.

Methods: The Italian versions of BASIC and BASIC-Q were developed following a rigorous process and were validated in patient populations referred to two Italian tertiary memory clinics. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to evaluate the discriminative validity of BASIC and BASIC-Q in identifying cognitive impairment compared to specialist diagnoses. Linear regression models were used to explore the influence of traditional confounders, such as age and education.

Results: A total of 246 participants were recruited for the study. The BASIC and BASIC-Q assessments accurately distinguished between individuals with cognitive impairment and those with intact cognition, achieving areas under the curve of 0.96 and 0.95, respectively. The accuracy of these two tools was comparable to that of the Mini-Mental State Examination. Additionally, both instruments showed a negative association with age but were not influenced by educational level.

Discussion: The BASIC and BASIC-Q tools effectively identify older individuals with cognitive impairment who may need further diagnostic assessment. Their accuracy must be explored in primary care settings and among multicultural populations.