[Cognitive function in menopausal women evaluated with the Mini-Mental State Examination and Word-List Memory Test].
There is little research in Brazil on cognition and menopause, despite the high frequency of neuropsychiatric complaints in this phase of women's life. The authors present a cross-sectional study aimed at describing the scores by 156 menopausal women on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Word-List Memory Test (WLMT). The mean score on the MMSE was 25.86 points (SD = 2.67), similar to other studies, except for better performance by illiterate women; scores on the sub-items 'attention and calculation' and 'immediate recall' showed lower values. In the WLMT, the mean was also consistent with the literature (M = 18.83 words; SD = 3.82). The only significant associations with score were for schooling in both tests and arterial hypertension in the WLMT. The authors conclude that cognitive performance in these menopausal women is similar to that of other Brazilian samples, corroborating the wider range of scores among individuals with lower schooling. Complaints pertaining to memory in middle-aged women may be related to decreased attention.
Fernandes
Rita de Cássia Leite
Rde C
Ministério da Saúde, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. ritaf@globo.com
da Silva
Kátia Silveira
KS
Bonan
Claudia
C
Zahar
Silvia Eliane Vasconcelos
SE
Marinheiro
Lizanka Paola Figueiredo
LP
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001938:Brazil; D010054:Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale / Q000592:standards; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008593:Menopause / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D014705:Verbal Behavior / Q000502:physiology