The Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination (ACE) in the Differential Diagnosis of Early Dementias Versus Affective Disorder

The profile of performance on the ACE of patients with dementia is different from that of patients suffering from affective illness. Mild impairment in the total ACE score, along with a low score on the memory domain tasks and letter fluency (in contrast to normal category fluency), are strongly indicative of an affective, as opposed to organic, pathology. A total score of <88 in suspected dementia patients with affective symptoms appears strongly predictive of an underlying organic disorder.