Dementia Mini-Mental State Examination

Assessment methods that determine mental functioning (attention, orientation, memory, speech, understanding of speech, psychomotor functions) in a simple, practical way are recommended for a rough estimation of the severity of dementia. The best-known instrument is the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE. Folstein et al.. 1975), which allows the grading of dementia on a 30-point scale on the basis of a simple 5 10-min examination. Other, rather more involved procedures include the Dementia Rating Scale (DRS) of Mattis (1976) and the Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS) of Rosen et al. (1984). The... 

The Mini-Mental State Examination. Archives of General Psychiatry 40 812 Freitag MH, Peila R, Masaki K et al. (2006). Midlife pulse pressure and incidence of dementia the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study. Stroke 37 33-37... 

The severity of cognitive deficits in patients suffering from, or suspected of having, dementia can be quantified by a simple 30-point schedule, the mini mental-state examination (MMSE) of Folstein. A score of 21-26 denotes mild, 10-20 moderate and less than 12 severe Alzheimer s disease. The MMSE can also be used to monitor progress. 

In studies comparing neuropathology protocols for AD, several groups have found that the CERAD diagnosis most closely correlates with measures of dementia severity, such as the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). 

Brayne, C., and Calloway, P. (1990). The assodaiion of education and socioeconomic status with the Mini Mental State Examination and the clinical diagnosis of dementia in elderly people. Age Ageing 19,91-96. 

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