Published in:
Open Access 01-12-2005 | Research article
Brief cognitive assessment in a UK population sample – distributional properties and the relationship between the MMSE and an extended mental state examination
Published in: BMC Geriatrics | Issue 1/2005
Login to get accessAbstract
Background
Despite the MMSE's known flaws, it is still used extensively as both a screening instrument for dementia and a population measure of cognitive ability. The aim of this paper is to provide data on the distribution of MMSE scores in a representative sample from the UK population and to compare it with an extended cognitive assessment (EMSE) which covers a wider range of cognitive domains and provides a wider range of difficulty levels.
Methods
The MMSE and the EMSE were administered to over 12,000 participants at the screening stage of the MRC Cognitive Function and Ageing Study (MRC CFAS). MRC CFAS is a multi-centre population-based study in England and Wales with respondents aged 65 years and older.
Results
Normative values on the MMSE and EMSE are presented by age group, sex and level of education. There are very large differences between age groups, with smaller differences seen between the sexes and by level of education. The EMSE extends the scores at the high end of the ability range, but is no better than the MMSE at differentiating between dementia and non-dementia.
Conclusion
Population-derived norms are valuable for comparing an individual's score to the score that would be expected among the general population, given the individual's specific demographic characteristics.