The clinical utility of the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale in assessing cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease.

The progression of cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease (AD) was studied by examining patterns of test performance on successive administrations of the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale (DRS) in a sample of 63 participants who were diagnosed with probable AD. Assessments were performed at intervals ranging approximately from 3 to 38 months apart. Results indicated that the pattern of progression and sequence of neuropsychological decline in AD is influenced by sex and age of disease onset. Results offered support for the clinical staging of AD and further substantiated the clinical utility of the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale in staging degree of dementia.