The reliability and validity of the mini-mental state examination in the elderly Croatian population.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was standardization and validation of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) in the general Croatian aging population.


METHODS
Three-hundred and forty-four participants underwent the MMSE test, 217 cognitively healthy subjects without neurological and psychiatric disorders and 127 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia.


RESULTS
The optimal cutoff point for screening of the general Croatian population (cognitively healthy vs. MCI and dementia) is 26/27; in the Croatian population aged ≥65 years, the cutoff point is 24/25, whereas for screening of highly educated persons (≥14 years of education) aged ≥65 years a higher cutoff point should be used (26/27).


CONCLUSIONS
MMSE results when standardized and validated in a certain population might better contribute to recognition of the individuals at risk that should be directed to dementia outpatient clinics.
Department of Cognitive Neurology, University Hospital Centre, Zagreb, Croatia. maboban@mef.hr
Marina
M
Boban
Branko
B
Malojčić
Ninoslav
N
Mimica
Sunčica
S
Vuković
Ivan
I
Zrilić
Patrick R
PR
Hof
Goran
G
Simić
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000175:diagnosis*; D017523:Croatia; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008609:Mental Status Schedule / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000295:instrumentation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results