Utility of the Boston Naming Test in Differentiating between Mild Cognitive Impairment and Normal Elderly: A Meta-Analysis

Objectives: The Boston Naming Test (BNT) is a widely used neuropsychological test for evaluating language ability and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Several different abbreviated forms of the BNT have been used in previous research and clinical settings. For efficiency, valid and sensitive abbreviated forms of the BNT are useful. However, there has been no study that focused on comparison among various forms of the BNT and MCI. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis of studies that assessed subjects with MCI alongside normal elderly with one of three different forms of the BNT: 60 items (BNT-60), 30 items (BNT-30), and 15 items (BNT-15). Methods: A total of 41 studies (19 for BNT-60, 5 for BNT-30, and 17 for BNT-15) were included in the present meta-analysis. Effect sizes were obtained by Hedges's g with a 95% confidence interval. Results: The random-effects meta-analysis model composite with all forms of the BNT showed that MCI subjects performed lower than the normal elderly on the BNT. Additionally, MCI subjects acquired significantly lower scores than normal elderly in all different forms of the BNT. Conclusion: MCI subjects show significantly lower performance even in the shortest form of the BNT (BNT-15). Therefore, it seems reasonable to conclude that an abbreviated form of the BNT can be used effectively in clinical settings.