This tool, developed by the FRONTIER Research Group at the University of Sydney, is designed to assist clinicians in screening patients for dementia.

Clinician Notice

This tool is intended for use only by clinicians trained in administering and interpreting the ACE-III. It is a screening tool, not a diagnostic instrument, and provides a risk score to guide further diagnostic evaluations. It does not diagnose dementia.

About FRONTIER

FRONTIER is based at the Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, and specialises in the study of younger-onset dementias. Patients in the FRONTIER research programme are typically assessed every 12 months until discontinuation. Assessments typically include a comprehensive neurological examination, a neuropsychological assessment, and a structural brain MRI, completed within a 3-month period. For more information on FRONTIER assessment procedures, visit https://osf.io/6hpax/.

About the Dataset

This case-control study included participants recruited from September 2011 to December 2023. It comprises 431 patients with dementia (409 with a major neurocognitive disorder and 22 with a minor neurocognitive disorder at the last clinical assessment) and 107 non-dementia controls.

The dataset includes annual repeat assessments, resulting in 844 ACE-III assessments from patients with dementia (789 with a major and 55 with a minor neurocognitive disorder) and 224 ACE-III assessments from non-dementia controls. This dataset is based on performance profiles from the Australian version of the ACE-III. The dementia risk value is derived from a binomial logistic regression model. For more information about the dataset and model, visit https://osf.io/6hpax/.

Financial Support

This tool was developed with support from the Edwards Fund for Dementia Research and the Steven Warman Research Fund in Frontotemporal Dementia at the Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney. This tool was also supported in part by funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) (GNT1037746, GNT2024329, GNT2025228, GNT2008020) and the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders Memory Program (CE11000102).

Contact

For questions about the ACE-III Online Dementia Screening Tool, please contact FRONTIER at frontier@sydney.edu.au. To learn more about the ACE-III or download the test and administration guide, visit https://frontierftd.org.