Developed by Maxime Bertoux in 2012,[1] the mini-SEA has been preferentially designed for the assessment, follow-up and diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases such as the frontotemporal dementia, but is more generally designed to evaluate the integrity of the frontal lobes.
[2] The whole battery is composed from two subtests : (1) a reduced and modified version of the Faux-Pas test,[3] assessing Theory of Mind and (2) a facial emotions recognition test.
[4] Both tests are among the most sensitive and specific tests for the diagnosis of the frontotemporal dementia and accurately discriminate frontotemporal dementia patients from controls or patients with Alzheimer's disease.
[5] The mini-SEA evaluates the frontal lobes dysfunctions, in particular the rostral and dorsal median parts of the prefrontal cortex.
[8][9] and is also presented as a useful clinical tool to assess the sequela of a frontal ataque fulminante or following traumatic brain injury.