Purpose

The mBNT aims to assess the ability to name objects, specifically visual naming, a function closely related to language skills and often impaired in cases of dementia or other neurological disorders.

Brief Description

The full version of the test consists of 30 black-and-white object pictures, which are presented to the participant for naming. There is also a short version with 15 pictures. The images are arranged from the easiest to the most difficult. If the examinee does not respond within 20 seconds, a phonemic cue (the first letter or sound of the word) may be given. The normal response is spontaneous naming without help.

Sample

The mBNT has been administered to a Greek population of elderly individuals, both with and without Alzheimer’s-type dementia. Specifically, it included 74 healthy participants with a mean age of 71 years and 52 patients with Alzheimer’s-type dementia. Diagnosis of patients was based on MMSE (Mini-Mental State Examination) criteria.

Scoring Method

The total score is calculated based on: (1) correct answers without help, (2) correct answers with phonemic cues, (3) number of correct repetitions, (4) number of errors, and (5) number of correct answers after cues. In the full version of 30 pictures, the maximum score is 30. For the shorter version with 15 items, the criterion of normal performance is 16/30 for healthy individuals and 8/15 for patients.

Validity

The mBNT has shown high validity. There is a strong correlation with cognitive functioning (MMSE) and with overall cognitive performance (r = 0.81). The sensitivity of the full test reaches 95.6%, while the shorter version has a sensitivity of 88.4%.

Main References

Kaplan, E., Goodglass, H., Weintraub, S., & Segal, O. (1983). Boston Naming Test. Philadelphia: Lea & Febiger.
Marien, P., Mampaey, E., Vervaet, A., Saerens, J., & De Deyn, P. (1998). Normative data for the Boston Naming Test in native Dutch-speaking Belgian elderly. Brain and Language, 65, 447-467.
Tsantali, E., Lekka, S., & Tsolaki, M. (2005, March 31–April 3). The two short versions of the Boston Naming Test in Alzheimer’s-type dementia – Greek edition. 4th Panhellenic Interdisciplinary Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders, Thessaloniki.
Tsolaki, E., Lekka, S., Tsolaki, M., & Kazis, A. (2003). Presentation and adaptation of the Boston Naming Test (BNT) in Greek data and its reliability and validity in relation to MMSE. Encephalos, 40, 190–200.
Tsolaki, M., Tsantali, E., Lekka, S., Kiosseoglou, G., & Kazis, A. (2003). Can Boston Naming Test be used as clinical tool for differential diagnosis in dementia? – Greek short versions of BNT. Brain and Language, 87(1), 185–186.