When neuropsychologists get together, expect some serious brain-wave activity to occur.

And that's what happened nearly six years ago when University of Pittsburgh neuropsychologists Judith Saxton and Lisa Morrow began discussing better ways to diagnose mild cognitive impairment, or MCI.

Their prime interest was the mental health of baby boomers, whose brains, as with their bodies, are beginning to experience aging's assaults.

As a result, the brains of some boomers are going bust with memory loss, forgetfulness and confusion -- the harbingers of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. But primary care physicians often overlook these problems due to the time and difficulty involved in testing for MCI.

"Physicians feel they don't have a tool available to help patients with memory problems," said Dr. Saxton, associate professor of neurology and psychiatry and director of Clinical Core at Pitt's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center.

So she and Dr. Morrow, an associate professor of psychiatry, focused attention on converting paper-and-pencil cognitive-function tests into a computerized assessment that can screen patients while they await their doctors' appointments.

The result is CAMCI: Computer Assessment of Mild Cognitive Impairment.

"Five or six years ago, we came up with the idea," Dr. Morrow said. "Doctors can screen for a lot of different medical problems, including hypertension, diabetes and thyroid problems."

So why not cognitive impairment?

With ideas in hand, the women got together with Psychology Software Tools Inc., a Forest Hills producer of computerized medical devices that landed a small business research grant through the National Institutes of Health to program a touchscreen computer so patients can self-administer the screening process.

Besides using large script with clear voice prompts, CAMCI also uses a touchscreen to take the patient on a virtual shopping trip, which includes errands that test reaction time and memory. After the 25-minute test is completed, the doctor gets immediate results that show the patient's risk of MCI.

There's no keyboard or mouse.

"Memory tests are imbedded into the software program," Dr. Saxton said.

In calculating results, CAMCI considers age and education level.

"People like taking it," Dr. Saxton said of the screening. "It is more like what they do in everyday life."

If screening does show a risk of MCI, the doctor can prescribe more extensive testing and even a PET scan to confirm results and search for a cause of cognitive decline. If caught early, Alzheimer's can be treated with neurochemicals lacking in the brain.

Anthony Zuccolotto, PST president and chief executive officer, said his company collaborated with the professors to expand their ideas into a computer-based format.

The latest version could reach the market by year's end. While variations, including foreign language versions, are in development, Mr. Zuccolotto said PST's initial focus is the U.S. market.

"It is brief, easy to use and easy for elderly people to interact with in a way that won't scare them or overwhelm them," he said. "It has very large market potential."

Adding to the attraction, doctors can receive reimbursement for computerized assessment of cognitive ability. CAMCI could help patients while providing doctors a profit.

PST, in operation for about 20 years, has 37 employees. CAMCI could help boost company growth.

Drs. Saxton and Morrow and Mr. Zuccolotto foresee a day when CAMCI is standard equipment in doctors' offices.

Already the device has been tested on 2,000 patients, including 500 people who took pencil-and-paper cognitive tests, then underwent CAMCI screening, which showed comparable results. Testing included rural people in Washington, Greene and Fayette counties, proving that the screening process is accepted by all socioeconomic groups with potential to assist doctors lacking access to health-care resources.

In the coming decade, more people will reach their 80s and older. That makes MCI screening even more important.

"We could screen everyone in the population over 65, and about 20 percent would meet the criteria for MCI," Dr. Saxton said. "About 15 percent of those with MCI will go on to develop dementia within one year."

MCI can portend Alzheimer's disease, but other causes of MCI include vascular dementia, sometimes called multi-infarct dementia or strokes, Parkinson's disease, HIV/AIDS dementia, Huntington's dementia and Pick's disease, among others.

Any screening procedure can cause anxiety. But it becomes less intimidating when patients take a test without someone looming over them. Of 2,000 people who tested the device, fewer than five were unable to finish the test, the women said.

"You can think of it like a geriatric Gameboy," Dr. Saxton said. "The patient wants to get through it and get answers."

The device has gone through several generations of development with the laptop device now ready for use. PST also will produce a PC version of CAMCI for doctors' offices. The system has undergone peer review and received praise from physicians.

Dr. Steven DeKosky, dean at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, said he helped test CAMCI while at Pitt, and with positive results. He has no financial interest in the project.

The only way to obtain information about a patient's cognitive ability is through a test in the doctor's office. "But most docs are not trained to do it, or they send them to a neuropsychologist for a paper-and-pencil test, which is expensive."

It's also scary to be sent to a neuropsychologist for a cognitive test. But CAMCI solves the problems.

"This is a huge jump on it. If the screening comes out abnormal, they can then get further evaluation," Dr. DeKosky said. "This is where the future will be -- in computers helping us with medical evaluation."

PST will market the device with help from yet another grant.

Raw population numbers reflect the need for CAMCI.

"There are 70 million baby boomers," Dr. Morrow said. "Almost 50 percent will have one form of dementia by the time they reach 85 and older."

As a first step in screening for MCI, you do the math.