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Mini Mental State Examination

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Encyclopedia of Aging and Public Health
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The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) is the most widely used screening tool for dementia in the United States. This brief cognitive assessment instrument was originally developed, validated, and reported by Folstein and others in 1975 for the bedside diagnosis of dementia. It consists of the following parts: (1) orientation questions, five each for time and place (10 points); (2) three‐word registration and 1‐min recall (3 points each); (3) attention and calculation, assessed either by (a) serial subtraction of 7 from 100 or by (b) spelling “WORLD” backwards (5 points); (4) language, assessed by a three‐stage command, repetition, naming, reading comprehension, and writing (8 points); and (5) copying two intersecting pentagons (1 point). The maximum score is 30, which is normal. Scores of less than 24 are indicative of dementia. The test–retest and interrater reliability, internal consistency, and external validity of the MMSE are high. MMSE is administered by psychologists,...

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  • Boustani M, Peterson B, Hanson L, Harris R, Lohr K (2003) Screening for dementia in primary care: A summary of the evidence for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Ann Int Med 138:927–937. (The full report is found on the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality website www.ahrq.gov/clinic/serfiles.htm, accessed November, 2005)

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© 2008 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Thakore, N.J. (2008). Mini Mental State Examination. In: Loue, S.J., Sajatovic, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Aging and Public Health. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-33754-8_302

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-33754-8_302

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-33753-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-33754-8

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