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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Arq Neuropsiquiatr 2019; 77(05): 330-334
DOI: 10.1590/0004-282X20190043
Article

Is the Mini-Mental State Examination the best cognitive screening test for less educated people?

O mini-exame de estado mental é o melhor teste de rastreamento cognitivo para indivíduos com menor escolaridade?
Luis Felipe Scarabelot 
1   Universidade Federal do Paraná, Hospital de Clínicas, Curitiba PR, Brasil
,
Mariane de Moraes Monteiro 
1   Universidade Federal do Paraná, Hospital de Clínicas, Curitiba PR, Brasil
,
Mauren Carneiro da Silva Rubert 
2   Flumignano Instituto de Medicina - Curitiba, Paraná, Brasil
,
Viviane de Hiroki Flumignan Zetola 
1   Universidade Federal do Paraná, Hospital de Clínicas, Curitiba PR, Brasil
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ABSTRACT

Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) results are strongly influenced by educational level. The Brief Cognitive Screening Battery (BCSB) is an alternative assessment tool that provides more accurate results in individuals with less education.

Objective: Our aim was to compare the MMSE and BCSB as screening tests.

Methods: The MMSE and BCSB were assessed in 112 participants by two evaluators blind to the other test's result. Participants were classified according to their level of education. The influence of education level was analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis and multiple comparison tests.

Results: Scores of the MMSE (p < 0.0001) and the clock-drawing test (p < 0.0001) were influenced by education level but the delayed recall test score was not (p = 0.0804). The verbal fluency test (p = 0.00035) was influenced only by higher educational levels. It took three minutes less to apply the MMSE than to apply the BCSB (p < 0.0001).

Conclusions: These findings suggest that the delayed recall test and the verbal fluency test of the BCSB are better than the MMSE and clock-drawing test as tools for evaluating cognition in people with limited education.

Resumo

Os resultados do Mini-Exame de Estado Mental (MEEM) são consideravelmente influenciados pelo nível de escolaridade. A Bateria Breve de Rastreio Cognitivo (BBRC) é uma ferramenta de rastreamento cognitivo alternativa que fornece resultados mais acurados em indivíduos com menor nível de escolaridade.

Objetivo: Comparar o MEEM e a BBRC como testes de rastreamento cognitivo.

Métodos: 112 participantes foram submetidos ao MEEM e a BBRC por 2 avaliadores cegos para o resultados do outro teste. Os participantes foram classificados de acordo o nível de escolaridade. A influência do nível de escolaridade foi analisada utilizando o teste de Kruskal-Wallis e o teste de comparações múltiplas.

Resultados: As pontuações do MEEM (p < 0,0001) e do teste do desenho do relógio (p < 0,0001) foram influenciadas pelo nível de escolaridade, porém o teste de memória tardia não sofreu influência do nível de escolaridade (p = 0,0804). O teste de fluência verbal (p = 0,00035) foi influenciado apenas pelos níveis educacionais mais altos. A aplicação do MEEM levou 3 minutos a menos que a da BBRC (p < 0,0001).

Conclusão: Os achados desse estudo sugerem que o teste de memória tardia e o teste de fluência verbal da BBRC são mais adequados que o MEEM e o teste do desenho do relógio como ferramentas para avaliação cognitiva em populações com menor nível educacional.

Keywords:

Dementia - cognition - cognition disorders - memory

Palavras-chave:

Demência - cognição - transtornos cognitivos - memória


Publication History

Received: 02 October 2018

Accepted: 01 February 2019

Article published online:
16 August 2023

© 2023. Academia Brasileira de Neurologia. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commecial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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