Mini‐Mental State Exam Scores Vary with Education in Blacks and Whites

Abstract

Previous studies have suggested that education and race may affect performance on standardized mental status tests. In order to more clearly define these relationships, a prospective longitudinal study was devised to answer two questions: (1) whether race or level of education affects scores on the Mini-Mental State (MMS) exam in non-demented people and (2) what numerical cutpoints maximize the sensitivity and specificity of utilizing the MMS to help diagnose dementia in blacks of varying educational attainment. A total of 100 white and 258 black individuals, recruited from two city hospital primary care geriatric clinics, were evaluated and subsequently followed longitudinally over a 2 1/2 year period in order to assess accurately the presence or absence of dementia. In the non-demented, total MMS scores and performance on each item of the MMS were analyzed, revealing that people with an 8th grade or less education consistently had significantly (P less than .01) worse results than the better educated (9th grade or better) on borough, attention items, recall of table and dog, copying, sentence writing, phrase repeating, and total score. Furthermore, a total of 25% of the lower education group had an MMS score in the 18-23 range, traditionally thought to suggest dementia. There were no consistently significant differences between blacks and whites of equal education. In the better educated groups, using a score of 23 or less to define dementia maximizes the sensitivity and specificity of using the MMS in this diagnosis at 93% and 100%, respectively. In the lower education group, using 17 or less to define dementia maximizes sensitivity and specificity at 81% and 100%, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Processamento cognitivo e equilíbrio corporal em idosos com disfunção vestibular

“…During a preliminary phase for subsequent tests, the MMSE 25 was applied -it evaluates time and spatial orientation, word recording, attention, calculation, evocation, language, and visual/constructive praxis. It has been used with success to evaluate cognition in elderly individuals [16][17][18][19][20] . The exclusion criteria when evaluating cognition was 17 points for subjects with up to 9 years of schooling, and 23 points or more for elderly subjects with over 9 years of schooling 16,24 .…”

“…The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) 16,17 , the Clock Test (CT) [18][19][20][21] , and the Verbal Fluency Test (VFT) were applied to evaluate cognitive processing 2,[22][23][24] . During a preliminary phase for subsequent tests, the MMSE 25 was applied -it evaluates time and spatial orientation, word recording, attention, calculation, evocation, language, and visual/constructive praxis.…”

Coffee consumption is inversely associated with cognitive decline in elderly European men: the FINE Study

“…Men with a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score below 18 (n ¼ 118) (Murden et al, 1991;Tombaugh and McIntyre, 1992) or those whose age, coffee consumption, education, smoking status and alcohol consumption was unknown in 1990 were excluded (n ¼ 272). From the remaining 1031 men, subjects with diabetes (n ¼ 71) or a history of myocardial infarction (n ¼ 70), stroke (n ¼ 87), cancer (n ¼ 28) or more than one of these diseases (n ¼ 68) were excluded from the study population because these men could have changed their coffee consumption habits owing to their disease.…”

Health Demands Characteristics and Quality of Life in the Elderly Monitored in the Primary Care

“…The research was performed through the application of the MMSE [19], Socio-demographic and Pain Characteristics, Short-Form-36 (SF-36), validated Brazilian version [20], the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MAN) [21], the questionnaire on primary activities of daily living (ABVD) developed by Barthel [22], the daily instrumental activities activity (AIVD) developed by Lawton and Brody and adapted to the Brazilian context [23], Prisma 7 [24] and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) [25].…”