The mini‐mental state examination: Normative study of an Italian random sample

We provide a set of normative data on the Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE) from a random sample of 906 normal, healthy subjects of both sexes, 20 to 79 years of age. Subjects were selected in six Italian cities and in the Republic of San Marino. Results show the significant influence of sociodemographic variables, such as age and education, on MMSE performance. We used Multiple Linear Regression Analyses to correct MMSE normative values for these demographic effects. The analyses allow us to specify cutoff scores for distinguishing “normal” performance from “borderline” and pathologic performance.

[1]  S. Li,et al.  An epidemiological survey of age‐related dementia in an urban area of Beijing , 1989, Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica.

[2]  E. Kaplan,et al.  Methodological issues in screening for dementia: the problem of education adjustment. , 1986, Journal of chronic diseases.

[3]  D. Salmon,et al.  The prevalence of dementia and Alzheimer's disease in Shanghai, China: Impact of age, gender, and education , 1990, Annals of neurology.

[4]  Y. Lamour,et al.  A comparative evaluation of the short orientation memory concentration test of cognitive impairment. , 1987, Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry.

[5]  L. George,et al.  Relationship of health and demographic characteristics to Mini-Mental State Examination score among community residents , 1988, Psychological Medicine.

[6]  D P Salmon,et al.  The Mini-Mental State Examination in the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. , 1990, Archives of neurology.

[7]  J Agnew,et al.  Age‐specific norms for the Mini‐Mental State Exam , 1988, Neurology.

[8]  S. Bassett,et al.  Predicting Performance on the Mini‐Mental State Examination , 1987, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

[9]  V. Leirer,et al.  Development and validation of a geriatric depression screening scale: a preliminary report. , 1982, Journal of psychiatric research.

[10]  A. Heyman,et al.  Sensitivity and specificity of standardized screens of cognitive impairment and dementia among elderly black and white community residents. , 1990, Journal of clinical epidemiology.

[11]  D Commenges,et al.  Validity of the Mini-Mental State examination as a screening instrument for cognitive impairment and dementia in French elderly community residents. , 1990, Neuroepidemiology.

[12]  M. Folstein,et al.  Limits of the ‘Mini-Mental State’ as a screening test for dementia and delirium among hospital patients , 1982, Psychological Medicine.

[13]  S. Folstein,et al.  "Mini-mental state". A practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. , 1975, Journal of psychiatric research.

[14]  E. Zillmer,et al.  Comparison of two cognitive bedside screening instruments in nursing home residents: a factor analytic study. , 1990, Journal of gerontology.

[15]  G. van Belle,et al.  Reliability of estimates of changes in mental status test performance in senile dementia of the Alzheimer type. , 1990, Journal of clinical epidemiology.

[16]  B B Reiss,et al.  The reliability and validity of the Mini-Mental State in a British community survey. , 1989, Journal of psychiatric research.

[17]  S. S. Wilks Determination of Sample Sizes for Setting Tolerance Limits , 1941 .

[18]  C D Marsden,et al.  Mini-mental state examination in neurological patients. , 1984, Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry.

[19]  N. Saunders,et al.  Recognition of dementia in general practice: comparison of general practitioners' opinions with assessments using the mini-mental state examination and the Blessed dementia rating scale. , 1988, Family practice.

[20]  J. Hughes,et al.  Cognitive deterioration in Alzheimer's disease: behavioral and health factors. , 1990, Journal of gerontology.