title: Cognitive abnormalities and cerebral perfusion defects in a community-dwelling cohort of elderly men with MMSE within the normal range.
abstract: Mini Mental State Examination's (MMSE's) sensitivity in its upper level is questioned, hence we investigated cognitive abnormalities and defects in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in elderly with MMSE scores ≥24.
  
  
  
  One hundred and four men at age 81 with MMSE scores ≥24 (mean 28.4 ± 1.7), no dementia or stroke, were examined with neuropsychological test battery, and their rCBF was estimated using99mTc-HMPAO SPECT.
  
  
  
  MMSE was very sparsely correlated with rCBF. Instead, visuo-spatial tests were correlated with rCBF in parietal and occipital lobe, verbal tests with rCBF in frontal and temporal-parietal lobes, and most of all between Digit Symbol and all rCBF regions, especially in subcortical gray and white matter. In a cluster of low achievers, test of Synonyms, followed by Digit Symbol and Benton test, had highest discriminatory importance. Low achievers had generalized rCBF changes especially in subcortical areas. Only lower scores on two MMSE items, figure drawing and calculation, could discriminate the clusters.
  
  
  
  A substantial number of octogenarian men with MMSE ≥ 24p have widespread rCBF changes corresponding to a decreased speeded performance and verbal capacity.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Clinical Sciences in Malmö , Neurology Unit , Malmö , Sweden.|d Lund University , Lund , Sweden ​.
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: André-Petersson
authors.affiliation: b Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine , Scania University Hospital , Malmö , Sweden.|d Lund University , Lund , Sweden ​.
authors.forename: Ola
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Thorsson
authors.affiliation: c Department of Clinical Sciences in Malmö , Geriatric Medicine Unit , Malmö , Sweden ​.|d Lund University , Lund , Sweden ​.
authors.forename: Arkadiusz
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Siennicki-Lantz
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime
keywords: Neuropsychological tests; aged, 80 and over; cohort studies; emission-computed, single-photon; tomography