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The Benson Complex Figure Test for the Differential Diagnosis of Dementias
Marina Papadogiani, Theodoros Fasilis, Akyllina Despoti, Vasiliki Kamtsadeli, Maria Hantzopoulou, Niki Tsinia, Evdoxia Lykou, Lina Chatziantoniou et al.. NeuroSci, 2026-03-20
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
The Benson Complex Figure Test (BCFT) is a neuropsychological tool designed to assess visuospatial construction and visual memory with lower complexity than traditional tests. This study evaluated its ability to differentiate between major dementia subtypes. In a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of 1428 participants from a Greek third-age day center (healthy participants [Controls]; patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease dementia [ADD], Lewy body dementia [LBD], Frontotemporal dementia [FTD: behavioral variant (BV), non-fluent variant (NFV), semantic variant (SV)], Corticobasal dementia [CBD], Parkinson’s disease dementia [PDD], and mixed Cardiovascular dementia with Alzheimer’s disease [CVD/AD]), all participants completed the BCFT and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Multinomial logistic regression, adjusted for age, sex, and education, revealed distinct BCFT profiles across dementia subtypes. Patients with CBD showed significantly lower copy scores than those with ADD (p = 0.006). The FTD-NFV group exhibited superior memory scores compared to all other dementia subtypes (p 89%) but low for rarer subtypes (<25%), partly reflecting sample size limitations. In conclusion, the BCFT captures distinct visuospatial and memory profiles across dementia syndromes, supporting its potential utility in differential diagnosis, particularly for common subtypes such as ADD. Its simpler design may facilitate assessment in older adults, although validation in larger and more balanced cohorts is required for rarer dementias.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Papadogiani, M., Fasilis, T., Despoti, A., Kamtsadeli, V., Hantzopoulou, M., Tsinia, N., et al. (2026). The Benson Complex Figure Test for the Differential Diagnosis of Dementias. NeuroSci. https://doi.org/10.3390/neurosci7020038
Vancouver
Papadogiani M, Fasilis T, Despoti A, Kamtsadeli V, Hantzopoulou M, Tsinia N, et al. The Benson Complex Figure Test for the Differential Diagnosis of Dementias. NeuroSci. 2026. doi:10.3390/neurosci7020038. PMID: 41874041.
BibTeX
@article{papadogiani2026-41874041,
author = {Papadogiani, Marina and Fasilis, Theodoros and Despoti, Akyllina and Kamtsadeli, Vasiliki and Hantzopoulou, Maria and Tsinia, Niki and Lykou, Evdoxia and Chatziantoniou, Lina and others},
title = {{The Benson Complex Figure Test for the Differential Diagnosis of Dementias}},
journal = {NeuroSci},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.3390/neurosci7020038},
pmid = {41874041},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/neurosci7020038}
}
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Key findings
- Multinomial logistic regression, adjusted for age, sex, and education, revealed distinct BCFT profiles across dementia subtypes.
- Patients with CBD showed significantly lower copy scores than those with ADD (p = 0.006).
- The FTD-NFV group exhibited superior memory scores compared to all other dementia subtypes (p 89%) but low for rarer subtypes (<25%), partly reflecting sample size limitations.
- In conclusion, the BCFT captures distinct visuospatial and memory profiles across dementia syndromes, supporting its potential utility in differential diagnosis, particularly for common subtypes such as ADD.
Why it matters
The Benson Complex Figure Test showed distinct visuospatial and memory profiles across dementia subtypes, with good accuracy for common subtypes like Alzheimer's but low accuracy for rarer subtypes. This supports its potential use in differential diagnosis, but it is not a treatment or cure.
Study details
- Study designcross-sectional
- Participants1,428
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 44/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a snapshot of people at one point in time. Scored zero for effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (NeuroSci) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | NeuroSci: journal h-index 20 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 4 / 12 | A snapshot of people at one point in time |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 5 / 5 | 2026 — within 1 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 1,428 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 1 / 7 | Cited 1 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 0 / 5 | 0.5 citations a year over 2 year(s) since 2026 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 4.7× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 1 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 1 / 4 | Last-listed author John D. Papatriantafyllou: h-index 16 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | National and Kapodistrian University of Athens: institution h-index 859 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 41874041) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 44 / 100 | — |
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