Influence of age and scholing on the performance in a modified Mini-Mental State Examination version: a study in Brazil Northeast

Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria

Paulo Roberto De Brito-marques¹  José Eulálio Cabral-filho¹ 

[1],University of Pernambuco Faculty of Medical Sciences Department of NeurologyRecife PE ,Brazil

关键词: Mini-mental State Examination;    cognition;    education;    cognitive assessment;    age;    Mini-Exame do Estado Mental;    cognição;    educação;    avaliação cognitiva e idade;   

DOI  :  10.1590/S0004-282X2005000400005

来源: SciELO

【 摘 要 】

Performance in cognitive tests can be influenced by age and education level. In developing countries, formal education is limited for most people. Application of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) test, in its original version could have an adverse effect on the evaluation of low educated and elderly individuals. OBJECTIVE: To assess the cognitive performance of low and middle educated old people in a modified version of the adapted to portuguese language MMSE. METHOD: A study was carried out enrolling 253 individuals, aged 60 to 90 years included in different schooling levels. Four educational groups were studied: illiterate;1-4 schooling years; 5-8 schooling years and over 8 schooling years. Besides, the sample was also studied according to six classes: 60-65, 66-70, 71-75, 76-80, 81-85 and 86-90 years. The modified version (mo-MMSE) included modifications in copy and calculation items from the adapted MMSE (ad-MMSE) to Portuguese language. The maximum possible score was the same in the two versions: total, 30; copy, 1 and calculation, 5. RESULTS: mo-MMSE scores were significantly higher than ad-MMSE for every age classes. A negative correlation was observed between age and scores in individuals of 1-4 and in individuals over eight schooling years, both in ad-MMSE and mo-MMSE. However, there was not a significant correlation between age and scores in illiterate group and in individuals of 5-8 schooling years. CONCLUSION: The modification of copy and calculation items of ad-MMSE, are responsible by the best performance in mo-MMSE. Cultural background could have influenced this result. Individuals with more than eight years of formal instruction are protected against a reduction of their capacity to solve cognitive tests. However, low instructed individuals have not this capacity and so they present signals of intellectual aging before they become elderly people.

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